


Catch Me if You Can

by arizonasnow



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 11:51:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 32
Words: 98,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10741146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arizonasnow/pseuds/arizonasnow
Summary: They assumed she had died. Perished.When she defeated the demogorgon, it was thought that she had died along with it. However, Eleven's back, and stronger than ever.





	1. The Middle of Middle School

August 14, 1984

A skinny hand slammed down onto a wooden bedside table as an alarm blared loudly. 

7:50 AM, the clock read.

Mike Wheeler rolled his eyes as he took in this information, turning the alarm off before rolling over. He let his eyes flutter back closed as he pulled his covers up to his neck. After a few moments of peace, his mother opened the door.

“Michael, honey, time for school!” Karen Wheeler called to her son, seeing him still asleep in his bed. She figured his alarm was being faulty and hadn’t gone off properly. Of course, she was wrong.

Mike groaned before turning over again as his mother closed the door. The noise echoed in his mind like a slam. ‘August 14.’ He thought to himself. ‘If only she was here for school- no.’ Mike shook his head, standing up. He stretched, shuddering softly, as he was dressed in only his boxers. The summer temperature was winding down, but Hawkins still had heatwaves every now and then.

He pulled on a navy t-shirt and his jeans with a greenish-tan jacket in his arm. He was almost positive he wouldn’t need it outside, but with the school still being repaired from the events that went down in the building nearly a year prior, the air conditioning was almost always turned low. 

Mike quickly brushed his teeth and ran a brush through his hair before looking over at the table in the corner of his bedroom. It was still messy and things were fallen over and unkept. He hadn’t touched it since the day a small girl with a shaved head slammed the door using her mind. He smiled warmly, but didn’t dare brush his hand across the surface.

Mike’s feet hit each step as he came down the stairs. Karen turned her head from the dining room where she was sitting with the rest of the family- Nancy, Ted, and Holly. “Michael, no running in the house!” She scolded, shaking her head at her son.

Mike shrugged and sat down, looking at the plate in front of him. He noticed Nancy gingerly picking at her food while his father practically devoured his in one bite. His older sister had spent the night at her boyfriend’s house. Mike didn’t particularly like Steve, but as far as he could tell, his sister was happy. 

“Nancy, is everything alright?” Karen spoke up, breaking the silence between everyone at the table. Holly giggled and picked up her sippy cup before slamming it back down on the tray of her high chair. Karen turned to pay attention to her youngest, cleaning up the apple juice that was spilling over the sides of the tray like Niagra Falls. 

Nancy didn’t respond. She continued to sulk before Ted spoke up. “Nance. Your mother asked you a question.” He said sternly. Nancy looked like she wanted to cry before finally peeping up.

“I broke up with Steve.”

The family breakfast was quiet for the rest of the morning.

8:22 AM

Mike finally mustered up the will to finish his food. He had an eggo waffle with some syrup and watermelon. He was hesitant to eat at first, but finally allowed himself to. He needed to eat, as well as let go of his memories of El, but he was only willing to do the latter of the two.

Nancy had already left for school after a twenty minute crying session with their mother. His father was at work and his mother had left to drop Holly off at day care. Mike had the house to himself. Well, not for long. He had to bike to school.

Of course, the first day of school would not be uneventful. His seventh grade year was dawning on him like a new day, and he was both excited for it and dreading it. He was excited for times with his best friends and favorite teacher, Mr. Clarke. However, there was the whole Troy-and-James factor that could just about ruin anything. And the fact that El wasn’t there.

But Will was. After the week in the Upside Down, Will had survived and gotten back. He still went off to mysterious doctor’s appointments a lot and took frequent bathroom breaks, but the boys assumed it was PTSD. They had no knowledge of any kind of slug in their friend’s body, and wouldn’t know for a while.

Mike stood up from the La-Z-Boy where he had been sitting, thinking of Eleven. It was where he shared a quick laugh with her and took her around the house, and where she wore his sweatshirt and grey pants… that he still refused to wash. His mother begged him to, but he never did, and never would unless something dramatic changed his mind.

He made a few steps outside before the morning, Indiana sun blinded him temporarily. His hazel eyes narrowed before he spotted his bike, climbing on and pedaling off towards Hawkins Middle School, where his death waited for him. 

Mike quickly recognized the faces of his three friends as they put their bikes in the stands. He hurried after them, finally catching up.

“Guys!” Mike called after them before Dustin finally turned around first, followed by Lucas, and lastly Will.

“Wheeler!” Lucas yelled, running over to him. Dustin followed with Will and they all sort of hug-bumped eachother. “How’s it going?” Lucas asked, smiling.

Lucas had gotten more muscular and even more stubborn. He had spent his summer at camp across the state, and according to Dustin, spent a lot of his time with girls, getting a little bit more than friendly. Lucas finally owned up to this, and suddenly, he was the talk of the group.

“Where’d you do it?”

“Was she nice?”

“Dude, you’re so lucky.”

These questions came from Dustin and Will. Mike just smiled off to the side awkwardly as his thoughts drifted towards El.

He was a growing boy and had turned thirteen somewhat recently, in the past April. Hormones were hitting him quickly, and sometimes his friend group veered their conversations into a discussion of the female anatomy. While Dustin, Will, and Lucas spoke of girls like Jennifer Hayes, Mike always thought of El. 

He tried his hardest to keep his thoughts innocent, but it was getting hard to. Her toned stomach. Long legs. It was all too much for him to think of, especially with his friends’ eyes burning into his skull.

“Earth to Mike?” Dustin said, waving a hand infront of Mike’s face before he finally snapped out of his daze. He was seemingly not as happy as he had been before. 

It was now well-known not to speak of Eleven infront of Mike. He always got depressed and sad, and the boys knew it was a conversation that was well out of their friend’s comfort zone. They had all presumed her to be dead. After all, it had been an entire year. Surely, if she was alive, she would have come back… right?

The boys had made a memorial for El in the abandoned schoolbus in the junkyard. They decorated it with pink streamers, her favorite color, and had left boxes of Eggos on the seats. Mike put his old yoda toy on the dashboard and everyone chipped in on buying a necklace for her. It was a gold chain with a silver dove pendant to represent peace, as suggested by Will. It wasn’t real, but it was all the boys could afford to get her. They wanted to be respectful.

Mike spent a lot of his summer laying on the beat-up seat of the bus, thinking of her. He wrote her journals, too, every day, telling her about what he and his friends did, and how everything in Hawkins was.

December 2, 1983.

Hey, El. It’s Mike again. Today Will got out of the hospital. We played D&D in the basement. I wish you were here. Your fort is still waiting for you. I hope you come back soon. The snow ball is in a week.

Love (scribbled out), Sincerely,  
Mike.

-

December 9, 1983.

The snow ball is tonight, El. Will is going with Jennifer Hayes and Lucas, Dustin, and I are all going as friends. I miss you.

Mike.

-  
April 5, 1984.

I turned 13 today, El. 

Mike.

-

April 19, 1984.

Why didn’t you come back El? I KNOW you aren’t dead. You can’t be dead. Please, just come back! 

Mike.

-

May 24, 1984.

It’s summer now. Dustin, Will, Lucas, and I made you a memorial in the old junkyard where Lucas and I fought. We bought you a necklace. You’d look really pretty in it. Well, you’d look pretty in anything.

Mike.

And so on so forth. Every day. He had filled up several journals, and his mother eventually stopped asking why he had to go buy notebooks so often. She assumed it was for school or D&D stuff. The other boys didn’t know about Mike’s journal-taking.

But El did.


	2. erehwoN

November 15, 1983.

Large, doe-like, warm brown eyes opened wide, frantically searching the landscape. 

“No! No, no, no, no, no!” The small girl cried frantically, placing her hands on her shaved head. Her eyes darted from tree to tree, root to root. Large, flaky white flurries fell from the sky above.

El was in the Upside Down.

She had been there before. And she knew that Will had managed to survive. However, Eleven wasn’t quite sure if she could do it herself. Every time she had been, every flashback, every sensory-deprivation session, had been hell. Now she was stuck there.

And that was how Eleven began searching desperately for the gate. She traveled miles on foot, eventually, her hand-me-down shoes became ruddy and torn, like her once pristine-pink dress. Her flannel was shredded in places and loose strings hung from holes in the shirt. She was covered in bruises and dried blood, not to mention dirt. White flakes from the sky graced the top of her head. She didn’t even bother to clean herself up any more.

August 14, 1984.

El watched them grow and flourish. She saw Will get better and the boys create her memorial. She watched everything with a silent tear. All she wanted to do was reach out and touch Mike’s hand like she had before. To press her lips to his like before. To live, not just survive, like before.

She spent her days practicing her powers. She got stronger. Not strong enough though. She hid from monsters and took Eggos out of the box in Mirkwood. She hummed the familiar tune she had heard once from Will. By now, she had memorized it, or her version of it.

“Darlin’ you’ve got to let me know. Should I stay or should I go. If you say that you are mine, I’ll stay until the end of time. Oh, you’ve got to let me know, should I stay or should I go.”

She smiled every time she saw Will sing it to himself. 

She knew she couldn’t leave. Well, she’d convinced herself that she knew it. However, she was dead wrong, and she’d find her way eventually. But, for now, she was stuck in the opposite dimension- the hell hole known as the Upside Down.

She’d stopped stalking the boys. She realized it would be strange after a while, as they thought she was dead. If she ever found a way out, they’d probably tell her things, and she’s respond with a quick “I know” before freaking them out.

Life in the Upside Down was hard to explain, and she was sure only Will would be the one to understand what happened to her.

But she’d never bring it up. She’d watched the poor boy struggle daily to deal with the trauma. Hell, she could barely cope with it. The monsters, the lab’s threats, the shadows that would scare her at 3 AM. It was all too much, and all too real. El wished she could wake up from the nightmare she was living in and find herself sleeping in the blanket fort, but she couldn’t wake up. Not anymore.

She slept in the Upside Down’s version of the fort every night. She held the ratty, torn blankets close to her heart and covered herself with them, thin and fraying, to protect herself from the 50 degree temperature of the barren dimension.

She longed to learn everything about normal life. Ever since the boys had begun to teach her what normal things were like, she was curious about everything. She wanted to know anything and was always excited to figure out something. 

Growing up in the lab was different. She received minimal praise from the other lab workers, only Papa, who held her in his toxic arms, caging her, before he placed her onto her bed. She remembered the stuffed lion she had, complete with matted stuffed fur and beady brown eyes. 

She stopped thinking about the lab after that. Eleven was too scared to think about it any more. 

The lab had tried to contact her multiple times. They sent notes in the box with the Eggos, thinking she’d find them. She did. Every time.

They were mostly from Papa, scribbled in rough handwriting that she could barely read. However, she managed to gain some knowledge. Eventually, the letters stopped coming. The lab stopped sending her food and clean water. They had given up on her.

She won. They weren’t looking for her any more and she could live her life freely. Well, as free as life in the Upside Down could be, which wasn’t very. She hid from the monsters, but was glad that she had one less to worry about- Papa.

El curled up in the blanket fort, inhaling the heavy scent of mildew and mold as she felt herself drift into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed. :)  
> -arizonasnow


	3. Will's Willpower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna start doing song-inspired chapters now or later... not sure. Also, 30+ hits already guys! I'm a proud mother :') (not really but you know what I mean lol)

Mike’s shoes squeaked against the tile floors of the school as he walked with his friends. So far, no sign of Troy and James. So far, so good.

The group rounded the corner to see Troy, of course. 

Unfortunately for Will, he was flirting with Jennifer Hayes. The little blonde girl with blue eyes who had cried at Will’s funeral when she thought he was dead. When they all thought he was dead.

Will turned and walked straight towards Troy, suddenly approaching him and his group of goons. Jennifer looked rather annoyed with Troy at one moment, and frightened at the next, which triggered Will.

“What are you doing, Will?!” Lucas asked, panicking. They had never approached Troy on purpose except after the assembly when they thought Will was dead. 

The following avents happened in a quick blur. Will’s fisted hand reached up and hit Troy flat in the face before a chorus of “OHHHH”s filled the hallway. A teacher, Mrs. Quincy, rounded the corner to see this and quickly pulled Will away from Troy just as the other boy was about to hit him back. 

Lucas, Dustin, and Mike just sat there in shock. Will Byers, the innocent, peaceful one of the group, just punched Troy Harrington in the face. Sweet, little Will.

James made a dive for Will and Mrs. Quincy kept him away. Next, the boys were ushered into their classrooms by a hall monitor and rumor had it that Will and Troy where in the Principal’s office.

The 7th grade English teacher was drawling on about the importance of Shakespeare, which the class would be reading that year, when a familiar voice popped up and a door unlocked.

“Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair? The principal needs you.” Mr. Clarke said awkwardly as the boys got up from their seats and shuffled towards the door.

Mr. Clarke walked them down the hallway and into the office where they saw Will sitting on the chairs next to the Principal’s Office. Troy sat next to him with a bruised cheek and black eye, and suddenly, a very angry Joyce Byers opened the door to the office, glaring at Will, who seemed to shrink back into his chair. 

“Come in boys.”

So, the boys walked in. Dustin sat to the left, Lucas to the right, and Mike in the center. 

“So, boys, what happened there? I’m aware that Will Byers punched Troy Harrington in the face, but I’m hoping for some information as to why.” the principal said, huffing slightly. 

Dustin spoke up first. “I think Will was just in a bad mood.” He lied, not wanting to betray his friend with the knowledge of his liking of Jennifer Hayes.

Mike and Lucas quickly nodded as the principal sighed. “Fine. Is that all? Did anything else happen in the hallway?” he asked.

They all shook their heads in unison. 

The door opened and they stepped outside. Lucas first. Joyce was sitting next to Will, tapping her foot on the floor rapidly, angrily. Mrs. Harrington was sitting across from her, her arm pulled tight around her son’s shoulder. The two mothers were noticeably staring eachother down.

Mike gulped awkwardly as they were ushered back to their class. They were lucky to all share first period English together, as well as Homeroom, but the rest of their classes had them all split up.

Mike had second period Pre-Algebra with Lucas. Will had second period Science alone. Dustin had second period Gym. So on so forth. They all had last period Homeroom together, though. This was requested by Joyce so that Will would see his friends in the morning and afternoon for comfort after the previous year’s events. After some persuasion and help from Hopper, the principal agreed.

The boys returned to class and finished. Finally, lunch rolled around after a few more classes and they all sat down at their usual table… where Mike and El had kissed. It brought back memories for him, but he didn’t dare to mention it, especially since Lucas, Will, and Dustin didn’t know about their kiss. 

As they began to eat, Lucas finally piped up. “Wait, where’s Will?” he asked. The others shrugged. “Dustin, didn’t you have third period with him?” Mike asked. Dustin shook his head. “No, but maybe he’s still in the principal’s office.” He suggested. The others nodded. 

The day passed and Will still hadn’t showed up. So, the boys biked to his house after school. Joyce opened the door after they knocked. “Will’s grounded.” She said, sounding moody. Mike looked over at Lucas and Dustin. 

“Oh… will he be at school tomorrow? We have his notes from English.” Dustin said awkwardly. Joyce shook her head. “No, he was suspended. He’ll be back in school next Monday. I’ll give him his notes and say you came by, but he isn’t allowed to see you all until further notice.” She said curtly. Her wavy hair bounced lightly as she spoke and Dustin pulled crumpled notes out of his backpack, handing them to her.

After apologizing for Will’s behavior, Joyce sent them all home and closed the door. Dustin looked over at Mike and Lucas. “I can’t believe he got suspended. He’s so screwed, especially when Jonathan finds out!” he said, just as Jonathan’s car pulled up into the driveway. The teen waved at the two younger boys and smiled. Mike smiled back as well as Lucas, and Dustin gave him his champion awkward smile.

Not suspecting a thing, Jonathon went inside and the boys struggled to rush out of the driveway before they heard Jonathan’s surprised yelling. “WHAT?!” they heard as they biked away.

Dustin and Lucas were over at Mike’s to do homework and play Dungeons & Dragons. They never got to playing because of Will’s absence, but instead, got into a conversation about Eleven. 

Mike brought it up, to his friends’ surprise.

“I miss her.” He’d said awkwardly as he fidgeted with his pencil. Dustin looked over at him, as did Lucas. “Me too.” Dustin said, Lucas nodding slightly.

Suddenly, Mike had burst into tears and Dustin and Lucas both brought him into a hug. He held onto his best friends, tears streaming down his cheeks like little rivers. 

“She’s in a better place now.” Dustin said softly.

She wasn’t. 

Eventually Lucas was crying too. “I was such an asshole to her.” he said, wiping away one of his tears. “I really deserved that throw at the junkyard.” He chuckled and managed to get a small laugh out of Mike. 

“Will you guys come to the bus with me tomorrow afternoon?” Mike asked. The others nodded softly. “I’ll meet you after I do my homework.” Dustin replied. “So, like… 4 o’clock.” Lucas and Mike both nodded in reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I might write one more chapter tonight... or three. MAYBE.


	4. Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, 100+ hits?! Thanks guys! This is crazy. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!! :)

Mike, Lucas, and Dustin biked up to the junkyard first thing after Dustin finished his homework. He met the others at Mike’s house and they all took off together. 

Mike was the first to get up and look out at the view of Hawkins. Lucas opened the door to the bus and walked inside, not even noticing the girl staring over the seat in the second row. He sat down in the driver’s seat running his hand over the plastic dashboard. 

“L… Lu… Lucas?” El managed to squeak. She hadn’t spoken in months and her voice felt strange. Suddenly the boy whipped around, eyes as wide as Saturn. “EL!” he screamed, jumping up. He ran to her and embraced her in a friendly hug. “El, we thought you were dead!” He cried before realizing he was causing her pain. He looked down to see her clutching her side. He pushed her flannel away and saw blood dripping from a wound that had been there for a while. “Ohmygodyouneedstitchesrightnow.” he said quickly in a rush before running outside to get the others.

“GUYS SHES BACK!” Lucas hollered. Mike and Dustin turned so quickly that Dustin got whiplash. They sprinted towards the bus and ran inside to see El smiling softly, weakly. “EL!” Dustin yelled, throwing his arms around her sloppily. He still had curly hair and a stocky build, contrary to Mike, who was still as skinny as a stick. El was dangerously thin, with barely any meat on her bones at all. Lucas had more muscle than before, but besides that, the three of them had hardly changed. Mike was a little taller, though.

El’s hair had grown to touch her collarbone. It had been a year after all. It was messy and wavy. She had pretty chesnut, honey-gold locks and tired brown eyes- just like Mike remembered. Except the hair.

Mike just stood there in shock, not knowing what to do or what to think. He wanted to scream and cry and hold her all at the same time. 

“Mike?” El asked quietly, frowning. She thought he was disappointed or mad that she had returned. It was freaking her out.

“… El.” He replied, just as quiet, a smile appearing on his face. He walked over and, much more carefully than Lucas or Dustin, hugged her in a gentle embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck before he noticed the bleeding on her side. “Guys, she’s bleeding!” he said, his eyes wide with horror.

Lucas gulped. “I forgot to mention that.” He said embarrassed. “It’s fine, I’m kinda shocked too.” Mike responded before turning to Dustin. “Do you think you can carry her? I can get her on the back of my bike and we can go to the hospital.” he said. Dustin nodded. “Well, she’s stick thin. Even you could carry her, Mike.” He said, winking at the end. Mike blushed crimson. The boys all knew Mike felt differently for El, and they used to tease him about it a lot. Now, the teasing was back, to Mike’s dismay. 

Dustin picked El up with little effort and carried her outside, careful not to made her bleeding worse. Mike got on his bike and Dustin placed El on the back. She wrapped her arms around Mike’s waist, just like before. However, Lucas had taken his jacket and tied it tightly around her waist to stop the bleeding on her side.

They got her to the hospital rather slowly, but she was okay. The second they got into the emergency room, a nurse asked where El’s parents were. “Papa…” she said quietly, having a flashback to her Papa holding her after she had killed two guards, determined not to stay in the room alone. 

Mike squeezed El’s hand lightly to remind her that she was okay. Martin Brenner had died during the night the demogorgon came and he was gone. His coworkers looked for Eleven for a while, going as far as to interrogate the boys and their families about her. They made sure they weren’t hiding her before eventually giving up. They moved the entire laboratory to another state, going under a new disguise. They took the rest of their experiments with them, but the boys didn’t know that there were others.

The nurse grew impatient. So, Mike called his parents and asked them to come by. They rushed to the hospital, thinking Mike was hurt, only to find him sitting next to a little girl with short hair, covered in blood and bruises. He was holding her hand.

Karen Wheeler first smiled for two reasons: Her son wasn’t hurt, and he was holding a girl’s hand. Then she frowned. Her son wasn’t hurt and he was holding a girl’s hand. So why had he called her in the first place?  
“Michael Wheeler, you scared us!” She scoffed, folding her arms. “Mom… this is El.” He said quietly, pointing to the girl beside him.

Ted looked up to see her. She was shrinking back into her hospital bed as a doctor approached. “We’re going to need to take her in to get stitches and an X-Ray. She may have some internal bleeding and minor bone fractures.” The doctor said, beginning to move El’s bed. El twitched, shaking lightly. She was afraid.

Mike glanced at her and the two met eyes before his face assured her that she was going to be okay. So, she trusted the doctors as well as Mike. They took her in to get stitches.

Karen Wheeler still needed an explanation. She whipped her head around at Mike. “So?” She asked impatiently. He shuffled his feet awkwardly underneath him.

“She… she saved us last year… when… when Will was gone.” Mike stuttered awkwardly, his mother’s icy gaze boring into his own. “And um… she doesn’t have parents.” Mike spilled out.

Karen looked at Ted and back at Mike. “What do you mean, ‘she doesn’t have parents’?” Karen asked, and then Mike, Dustin, and Lucas had to explain El’s situation. Or at least what they knew of it. Karen’s face went from angry to sympathetic quickly and she regretted her hostility towards the girl. She had saved her son’s life after all…

“So where does she live?” Ted asked.

Mike looked over at him. “Well I was kinda hoping she could stay with us for a little while… until… until everything is figured out, you know?” He replied to his father’s question slowly.

Karen hesitantly nodded. “Fine, but only until we get everything settled.” She huffed. Ted looked over at his wife. “Are you sure?” He asked, seemingly unentertained.  
Karen nodded. “She saved Mike’s life. We kind of owe it to her.” She said with a light shrug. “Okay.” Ted responded hesitantly, snorting. 

And that was that. Mike was as happy as could be. El was going to live with them, even for a little while. But this time he didn’t have to hide her in the basement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everybody! New chapter this afternoon after I get back from school/work :) I'm having so much fun writing this oml.  
> -arizonasnow


	5. Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everybody, new chapter! I wanted to have 2 up tonight but I got home from work super late after a loooong day at school anyways, and I just wanted to shower and nap before writing. So, that's exactly what I did. Anyways, tomorrow's chapter(s?) will be longer and more exciting, even if this one was pretty energetic. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> xoxo  
> -arizonasnow

El was an absolute wreck. Being wheeled away from her friends on a hospital bed with complete strangers, she wasn’t going easily. After a few minutes she had an anxiety attack as the stretcher moved into the hallway where the X-Ray room was. It looked like the hallways of the lab she grew up in.

She was screaming at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her dirty cheeks. One of the nurses scampered off before quickly coming back, holding a syringe in her hand. Eleven felt a sharp prick before the world faded off around her.

While sedated, the doctors cleaned her up and fixed her wounds, as well as got her X-Rays completed. She had some small fractures on her left foot and on her arm from multiple falls in the Upside Down. They were treated as best as they could. While Eleven was asleep, she had horrible nightmares though.

“PAPA! PAPA!” She screamed as two armed men carried her down the hallway by her arms. The cold stare he gave her in reply was heartbreaking. They threw her down and slammed the door as she rushed back to it before crying desperately for her papa. He didn’t come back. He showed her no mercy.

She cried in the room for a while before finally curling up into a ball and falling asleep. When she woke up, she was out of the dream.

She tried to move but she only felt a strange pain from her side and her leg felt heavy. She looked down to see a white cast on her left foot but didn’t understand what it was or what it did. She remembered going under but not feeling anything or waking up before she found herself in the dark room. It had blueish-grey walls and a pristine look to it, very sterile and cold. She didn’t like it. It felt like the lab.

Finally, after what felt like hours, a nurse pushed open the door and Mike, Lucas, and Dustin burst in, nearly knocking the nurse over. Then, Karen and Ted Wheeler poked their heads around the door. Ted huffed and turned back, but Karen stepped forward.

The boys each dragged a chair over by Eleven’s side and sat down next to her. El smiled lightly, seeing them there, happy to have their company. She hated being alone, especially after the events that included being locked in the room and stranded by herself in the Upside Down for nearly a year. She needed to move on though. It was 1984 now and she could get over her fears. Just… not yet.

Karen watched curiously as her son struck up conversation with the girl. She looked slightly familiar, but Karen couldn’t pinpoint where. Finally, she saw Mike look over at her and back at the girl.

“So, you can stay with us for a little while!” He finished, and Karen snapped back into reality. The girl was smiling brightly, just like her son, and she couldn’t help but give them a small grin. She walked over and held out her hand. “Hi, sweetie, I’m Karen, Mike’s mom.” she said, nodding slightly for the girl to shake it.

Eleven tilted her head slightly, not sure about what to do. She’d never shaken hands or greeted people normally and she had no idea what she was expected to do with Karen’s hand. 

Karen looked over at Mike. “She… she knows how to shake hands right?” She asked, concerned. What kind of parents did this girl have? 

Mike shook his head, embarrassed by not thinking to teach Eleven about hand shaking and basic greeting. “You just shake her hand.” He said. He then took El’s hand in his and shook it. “Like that.” She gave him a soft smile and a nod before hesitantly reaching out, meeting Karen’s waiting skin. She shook it lightly, going up and down like Mike showed her. Karen smiled a bit and moved back. “I’ll leave you all to talk.” She said with a half-smile before returning outside to her husband.

Dustin looked at Eleven’s foot. “Woah, El, what happened?” He asked, seeing her cast. Eleven looked back at him, shrugging. “Hurt. Feels… weird.” She managed to say. Her sentences hadn’t improved at all since she had seen them last, but Mike had already planned things out. She’d have speech therapy and take English classes until she was able to speak normally. It would work perfectly, right?

Mike figured Eleven would have to be homeschooled for a while before finally being able to join them. It could be a matter of months or a matter of years, depending on how quickly she learned. He didn’t know that El was excited to learn whatever she could, and if it meant being able to spend even more time with the boys at school, she’d do things as quickly as she could.

Dustin quickly nodded and looked over at Lucas, who seemed to be studying her cast. Finally, El felt strange and lifted her gown to the side, seeing the stitches. Her eyes widened as she panicked slightly, looking at the boys. 

Lucas shook his head. “Don’t worry, El, they’re stitches. They’ll fix the cut.” He explained and Eleven nodded, relaxing quite a bit. Mike smiled when he saw her calm down. He hated seeing her upset, especially now that she had just come back from a year of horror.

Meanwhile, Karen was in the hallway. Ted had gone home, and she was on the phone with Lucas’ mother. She had spoken with Dustin’s parents as well and told them that their friend had returned and she could take them home. However, the other parents agreed to let the boys sleep over at the Wheelers’ house, and she knew Mike would be ecstatic to hear this since that meant they could all stay up and talk to Eleven, even though it was a school night.

Karen decided she’d let Mike skip the next day, even though it meant he’d miss the third day of school. She saw the way he looked at that girl and knew he’d be too excited during the day to focus on work anyways. Plus, he hadn’t seen her in an entire year, and she decided he deserved a day to spend time with her.

When she told the boys, they were all bouncing off the walls. Eleven didn’t understand what they meant until Mike explained it to her, and she was equally as excited. Just… less physical than them.

El was released from the hospital that night, cleared with a few minor injuries, and returned to the Wheelers’ house to sleep. Mike hadn’t touched the blanket fort, and decided to get clean blankets and pillows for El. He brought down his sleeping bag and put it next to the fort so he could sleep beside her. He helped her into her fort, even tucking her in. She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew it was a good thing. He smiled down at her and wanted, so badly, to lean down and kiss her. And then he decided he’d do it. Mike began to lean down, his face inches away from hers, when Dustin yelled loudly and rushed down the stairs, followed by Lucas. 

The two other boys had gone back to their houses to get their things for sleeping over, and had arrived at just the wrong moment. It reminded Mike of when he and Eleven had almost kissed the previous November when she had returned and Dustin had opened the door to inform them that something was up with Lucas.

Dustin, it would later be discovered, had a bad habit of walking in on people.

Both Mike and El were furiously blushing now and Dustin pretended not to notice while nudging Lucas when the two had turned around. Lucas winked back at Dustin. It was hilariously awkward between the two of them, Mike, and El, but they all quickly changed the subject to talk about everything that had happened while El was gone.

And the night began.

They went upstairs, where El got to have eggos, of course, and sat down in the living room. Mike sat down next to El, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Dustin was sprawled out on his stomach and Lucas leaned against the sofa while they debated what movie to watch. They finally decided on Raiders of the Lost Ark, excited to show Eleven the movie for the first time. She’d only watched TV once when she first came to Mike’s house and escaped the lab, and they had so many movies and shows they wanted to show her. 

Eventually, Eleven fell asleep with her head resting on Mike’s shoulder, just like it had at the school gym… on the night she’d left. But this was much happier. He had noticed her place it there and had happily complied, moving closer so she didn’t have to lean so far over. Dustin snickered in the background and Lucas rolled his eyes, but Eleven’s breathing finally evened out. Nobody ended up sleeping down in the basement. Mike brought Eleven a blanket that he shared with her and the boys brought their sleeping bags upstairs.

In the morning when Karen came downstairs to check on them and wake Dustin and Lucas up for school, she had to pull out her camera and snap a quick photo of the kids. Dustin was sprawled across the sofa with one of his arms folded over his face. Both of his legs hung off of the sofa. Meanwhile, Lucas slept like a straight-up plank, joints locked into place as he slept on his back. Mike was literally against Eleven, who was curled up into a little ball, her arms tangled over his. The two were facing eachother. If it had been any other girl, Karen would’ve been furious with her son, but he knew how much she meant to him, so she let it slide.

Eventually, she’d wake them up… just not at that moment. She didn’t have the heart to, especially with her son looking so happy.


	6. The Breakfast Club

After Karen snapped a quick photo of the kids sleeping on the family camera, Mike was the first to wake up. He definitely didn't expect to have his mother photographing them at 7 AM, but he was glad they'd have a memory of the night years later. However, he wasn't feeling glad at the moment. He groaned and sat up, unprepared to have Eleven's hand fall off of his chest loosely. He blushed crimson, realizing he'd slept beside her, like that, all night long. Karen had left the room and was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Dustin, Lucas, and Eleven were all still asleep, and Mike slowly stood up, trying not to stir El.

He walked into the kitchen, startling his mother, who looked over at him with wide eyes. "Oh, Michael, honey, you scared me." she sighed lightly, relieved that it was just her son and not Holly managing to escape her nursery and find herself downstairs for the third time that month. Mike shook his head, marveling at his mother's shock. "Nope, just me. Should I wake everybody else up?" He asked, yawning. He was still wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a brown, long-sleeved sleep-shirt. Karen shook her head. "Here, why don't you help me make breakfast?" She countered, smiling. Mike complied hesitantly.

The mother-son duo could cook up a storm. Karen cut fruit while Mike flipped pancakes on the stove, making sure they wouldn't burn. He smiled lightly, remembering a quarrel between Will and Lucas on what kind of pancakes were better.

[[ "Obviously the burnt ones are better. They have more flavor!" Lucas spoke up, crossing his arms stubbornly. Will huffed in response.

"Flavor? The burnt ones have as much flavor as a piece of grass!" Will had countered, grinning. Lucas playfully slapped him on the arm. "No way, man. Burnt pancakes, all the way." ]]

It was an event that happened about a year and a half prior to the current day, the boys were all sleeping over at the Byers house and Jonathan was making them all pancakes. Suddenly, Mike got really excited. He had remembered something... El had never had pancakes!

He wondered if she'd like them as much as Eggos and began thinking about her when suddenly he heard a small peep and turned to see her standing with one hand on the doorway entrance, half of her body poking out from behind the door. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that Nancy had lended her and a pair of her old pajama pants. Mike thought she looked adorable.

"Morning, El!" He said, smiling brightly. She smiled back and walked over to him, looking at the pancakes on the stove. Mike finally noticed one burning and quickly scooped it up with the spatula and flipped it over. He was embarrassed... of course he had to nearly burn one while El was watching. 

Karen turned from cutting fruit to see the girl step into the kitchen. "Good morning, dear. Would you like to help us make breakfast?" She asked with a polite smile. El nodded enthusiastically, ready to help in whatever way she could. If El knew what a trophy wife was, she'd say that Karen pretty much was a textbook definition. However, she didn't know, and wouldn't know for a while, so she just thought she was pretty. 

"Alright, well, you can help Mike start with the eggs when the pancakes are done." Karen responded and El's eyes went wide. "Eggos?" She asked Mike. He chuckled lightly, touching her arm before quickly removing his hand after realizing what he'd done. She didn't seem to mind though. "No, eggs. They're totally different, but you'll like them." He shook his head, turning back to flip the last pancake.

After the pancakes were finished, El stood up and got the eggs that Mike had pointed out. She ran her fingers over one of them. It was round and smooth, very strange to her, but she decided that she liked it. She carefully carried the eggs to Mike and watched as he cracked one and poured the insides onto the pan. They sizzled and simmered, El watching closely, while Mike threw away the shells and wiped his hands off on a towel. After a few minutes of sizzling noises, the egg was ready. El had watched with eyes as wide as the moon as the eggs changed color and cooked, before Mike scooped it up and put it on a plate. He did the same with a few more eggs before letting El try on her own.

She awkwardly cracked the egg before accidentally cutting her finger on the sharp, cracked shell. Mike noticed and got her a towel, wiping away the blood. She smiled up at him, mouthing 'thank you', and waited for the eggs to change color. She excitedly picked it up with the spatula like Mike had showed her, and put it on the plate. They now had enough eggs for everyone in the Wheeler family and the other boys as well as El, of course. 

Karen showed El how to set a table, placing the fork, knife, and spoon in a specific order. El watched curiously and did the same thing on another table mat before Karen patted her shoulder with praise. She then grabbed the plates from the kitchen and sat them down one by one on each placemat. Karen placed a large bowl of cut fruit in the center of the table and put a pile of pancakes next to it. She turned to El. "Would you like to go wake the boys up?" She asked and El nodded eagerly, scampering off.

El ran into the living room and furiously tapped Dustin's shoulder. "Dustinnnn!" she whispered before he finally woke up, groaning. "El?" He asked. She nodded. "Yeah." she said and he smiled. "I thought I was dreaming yesterday. It's so good to have you back." He said, patting her shoulder just like Karen had done. She decided that shoulder patting was a good thing. So, she took Dustin into the dining room and went back to wake up Lucas, this time, more gently. Lucas didn't sleep as deeply as Dustin, and it had taken more effort to wake the curly-haired boy, but she poked Lucas a few times before he yawned and sat up. "Morning, El." He said and she nodded back in greeting before going into the dining room. 

Mike was sitting there and El sat next to him. Karen was sitting at the other side of the table, across from all of the boys. She had gotten Holly and put her in her high chair, feeding her baby food. She looked over at the boys. "Will someone go wake up Nancy?" She asked. El almost volunteered before Mike shook his head. Nancy in the morning was not a pleasant sight and he didn't want to expose El to something so... vulgar. Plus, she didn't know she was back yet. After a few 'Not it!'s, Dustin agreed to, and clambered up the stairs. He knocked on Nancy's door, and when he heard no response, he opened it. "Nancy, it's time for breakfa- OHMYGOD!" he squealed, covering his eyes with his hand.

He had just walked in on Nancy and Jonathan, naked, in Nancy's bed. Nancy sat up with wide eyes and covered her chest with her comforter. Jonathan just stared in shock and covered his body with another blanket. "Dustin!" he had squeaked in surprise. Dustin turned and closed the door, saying 'ohmygodohmygodohmygod' under his breath before walking back down the stairs, traumatized from his findings.

After Jonathan had snuck out of the window just like Steve used to, Nancy got dressed and carefully walked down stairs and into the dining room. She figured Dustin hadn't said anything and was glad to know that he hadn't before she sat down next to her mother. During that time, Ted had quickly eaten and gone to work. So, Nancy sat at the head of the table and awkwardly picked at her breakfast. She kept meeting Dustin's wide eyes and was eventually glad it had been him and not one of the others, or they would surely have ran their mouths, especially Mike. She finally noticed a strange looking girl sitting next to her brother and narrowed her eyes before they widened to the size of Jupiter. "EL!" she cried, getting up and slamming her knee on the bottom of the table, causing everyone's silverware and other non-heavy things to jump a bit. She winced before running over to the other side of the table, hugging the other girl tightly. El smiled lightly and awkwardly hugged her back. "Oh my god, you're okay!" She squealed. "Mom, why didn't you tell me? Mike?" She asked, shocked. Mike shrugged. "Surprise?" He asked with a smile.

The rest of the breakfast was spent with El trying new foods, and loving them, much to Mike's delight. They talked about what went on while El was gone and the entire time, Dustin just sat there awkwardly, trying not to cringe as he replayed the memories in his mind.

Finally, the other boys headed off to their houses on bike to go to school, followed by Nancy, who was driven by Jonathan. It was staged to look like he was coming to pick her up, but his car had been in the front yard the entire time. He wondered why Ted hadn't said anything.

Mike decided it was going to be a long day. He had a lot to show Eleven and even more to tell her. He was ecstatic.


	7. I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Karen was taking Holly out to have a playdate with one of her old, college friend's child so Mike and Eleven were home alone. Karen trusted the two of them not to do anything stupid, after all, they were thirteen already. Lucas and Dustin had left for school with Nancy and Jonathan, and Mike was excited to show El the town of Hawkins.

They'd gone some places before, but he really wanted to show her the little gems that made it Hawkins. So, Mike got El a change of clothes. A pair of black leggings that Nancy never wore, as they were way too small for the eldest Wheeler child, and one of Mike's old sweatshirts. It fit her loosely since she was so thin after coming back, hungry and ill. 

They left the house on Mike's bike, El hanging off of the back with her hands around his waist. He took off. She wasn't expecting it and let out an excited squeak and he laughed slightly. El liked the feeling of his warmth against hers as they biked down the road. 

Mike's heart fluttered as he took in the information that El was so close to him and he was glad he couldn't see his blushing face. It was about 9 AM now and school was just starting, so they wouldn't have to worry about running into anyone they knew. So, Mike took El to the quarry first. He'd already shown it to her once and he had no doubt she'd been there in the Upside Down, but it was a special place to him. As they approached, El peeked over Mike's shoulder, her grip on him just as tight as before, and looked up at the crystal blue, clear sky. Mike parked his bike on a tree nearby at the forest entrance and helped El off. The two of them walked over and sat on the edge, their feet dangling off of the cliff. They began to talk.

"I missed you so much El. It was really hard without you." Mike began, looking forward at the cliffs. El turned to look at him, wondering what he was talking about. "Missed you too." She murmured and he tilted his head to meet her gaze. The two shared a smile before Mike reached down, taking her hand in his. She smiled even brighter and their fingers laced together before he began to blush even more. She turned to him, hand still in his, and touched her other hand to his cheek. "Red?" She asked. El didn't know what blush was or why it happened, so of course this made Mike even more embarrassed. 

"Oh... well you blush when something embarrassing happens." He explained. "That's why it's red." Mike looked down at their hands. "Embarrassing?" Eleven asked, now even more confused. "It's a weird feeling you get. But not now. You also blush when you're with someone that you... uh... like." El nodded, remembering the prior year when he had explained that he liked her in a romantic way. He thought it was cute how confused she was at first but he watched her slowly begin to understand what romance was. 

The two sat there for a while in silence, holding hands, before Mike checked his watch. "Hey, it's almost 10, we should head back to the house so I can show you some cool stuff." El smiled and nodded, getting back on the bike with them. On the way back, Mike nearly crashed his bike when he saw a familiar looking van parked on the side of the road. Eleven was trembling against his back and the two quickly biked off as fast as Mike's legs could go. Hawkins Power and Light. Not something El wanted to be exposed to again.

So the two of them were racing back to Mike's house and managed to get there within minutes of their sudden departure. Mike took El inside and locked the door, the kids rushing into the basement. Eleven instinctively hid herself in the blanket fort. They sat there for about half an hour in the quiet, jumping at every little sound, before realizing that no one was coming for El. "Hey..." Mike said, moving over by her. "You know we'll never let them get you, right?" El nodded, and rested her head on his shoulder. He blushed, as usual, but she didn't notice. He then put his head back on top of hers. "Come on, I'll show you how to play monopoly." He said with a light grin. El smiled back and sat up, nodding eagerly. 

Mike walked up the stairs and grabbed the familiar board game box from the hall closet before coming back downstairs. El had moved over to the table and was sitting on a chair. Since the boys were going to do the campaign for D&D later, the table was currently clear, and Mike couldn't wait to teach El Monopoly. 

He told her about the pawns, and El chose the thimble. Mike chose the dog. The two began to play as he explained everything, and he was convinced to let her win. Surprisingly, she won on her own, and he was quite shocked. She was great at the game, and he knew he'd have to show the guys her Monopoly skills. The two began to put the game away, El organizing the money quickly and quietly as Mike put away the pawns and the board. They put everything into the box and Mike took it back upstairs before coming back to the basement again and forgetting whatever he was going to do the moment he saw her. 

She was no different than before, just smiling up at him, holding the SuperComm from before, which he'd had down in the blanket fort from the night before. He smiled back at her and sat down. "Remember when you contacted Will?" He asked, pointing to the SuperComm. El nodded and had a sudden, painful flashback of the week spent with the boys. Not the pain of them, of course, they were the best part, but the pain of the lab and disappearing was too much to bear.

Mike noticed the effect of his words and quickly pulled El into a hug to remind her that she was fine. El was surprised by this but wrapped her arms around him in return, just like he had with her, and the two stayed there, frozen in the moment, for a while. When Mike finally pulled away, El looked up at him through her brown, doe eyes. She was smiling, so he smiled back at her. He couldn't help but reach out and hold her hand, just like he had wanted to.

The two headed back upstairs, still holding hands, Mike leading El. It was noon by then and Mike knew El had to be hungry, so the two were going to make lunch. 

Mike pulled out four pieces of bread and some cheese, telling El that he was making grilled cheese. She had no idea what this was, but she figured if Mike liked it, she'd like it as well. He picked up the pan from the sink, it had been washed up, and he brought it over to the stove. He turned the knob and El watched with fascination as flames sparked from the burner. She tilted her head and walked closer, feeling the heat radiating against her body before turning to Mike. "F... fire?" She asked, trying to clarify the strange object dancing in front of her. He nodded. "Wait, don't touch it!" He said right as she moved towards it. El pulled back just as he spoke, shaking her hand a little bit. "Hurt..." She murmured. Mike took her hand in his, yet again, and looked at it closely. "It's not burnt, that's good. Just... don't do that again, okay?" He told her, looking into her eyes. El nodded vigorously, after learning her lesson. 

She watched as Mike put the bread, now with cheese wedged in between the two slices, on the pan and waited a moment before flipping it over. El was amazed to see that the bread had changed color, just like the eggs. Mike saw her curiosity and nudged her shoulder. "It's because they're heating up. They change color like that. With the eggs, too." He explained sheepishly and El hung on to his every word, nodding. 

Finally, the time came and both sandwiches were finished. Mike placed El's on a plate, next to his, and took them both into the dining room. He sat down at the table and patted the seat next to him for El, and she walked over, sitting down next to him. Her hand felt the rough fabric of the chair. It was embellished with small details, sewn in swirls and such. She was excited to try this new food, and Mike looked equally as happy to see if she liked it or not. So, she took a bite, and her eyes widened. She tilted her head, trying to come up with the right words for what she was trying to say. She hadn't been expecting the melted cheese oozing out of the sandwich, and Mike gulped. "Do you not like it?" He asked. "I can make you something else if you want." But El shook her head. "It's... good." She replied, adding a small smile at the end as she took another bite of her sandwich.

After another hour, Karen returned with Holly from her playdate and put the toddler up in her room for a nap. She went to check on Eleven and Mike, who were chatting about Dungeons & Dragons. He was teaching her about it, and Karen knew he had a new campaign planned for that Friday night when the boys were going to sleep over again, this time, with Will. On Friday, Will could see El for the first time.

That wasn't something Mike had thought about, though. Would Will react badly? What would happen when he met El? Would they get along? Those were things Mike should have taken into consideration, but neglected to. His mind was in other places, specifically El. She was tracing her fingers on the edges of the D&D board, and Mike couldn't help but be mesmerized by her soft skin pressing against the thick board. For about the fifth time that day, he yearned to take her hand back into his, lace her fingers with his, and honestly kiss her, but he knew he couldn't. It wasn't the right time. For him, he couldn't wait, but El had just gotten back and he knew he couldn't do that to her. He wanted to make their second kiss special, unlike the first one, which may have been special to her, but he thought it was sloppy and awkward. Even if she had smiled adorably afterwards, much to Mike's delight. He still wanted to plan out something, and he knew just who to ask: Nancy.

He had it all planned out. He'd have El downstairs with the guys, and he'd go upstairs to chat with Nancy and ask her for help. What he really wanted to do was to take El on a date, but he didn't exactly know how. So, he figured Nancy would know what to do. Even if she'd broken up with Steve, she had been on a few dates with him over the period of the year. He just didn't know about her relationship with Jonathan. That... well... would make things much more complicated.

Finally, the school day ended and the boys biked over to the Wheelers' house. Nancy came about an hour and a half later, driven by Jonathan, saying that the two of them were lab partners and had to study. Judging by her ruffled hair and lovesick expression, he didn't believe her for a second. He barely knew what love was, but he did notice that she looked at Jonathan the way he looked at El, and as far as he could tell, the Wheeler siblings were in love. With the exception of Holly, of course. Mike snickered to himself as he thought about the day Holly got a boyfriend. 'Not anytime soon.' He thought to himself.

The time came for Mike to execute his plan. El, Lucas, and Dustin were downstairs. The boys were doing homework, and El was watching them, taking note of some things and ignoring others. She was learning though, which was good. He was going to go upstairs and ask Nancy about what was going on.

He waltzed up the stairs happily and opened up her door only to slam it a few moments later. He'd just walked in on his sister masturbating. 

More specifically, he'd walked in on his sister masturbating and moaning his best friend's brother's name.

He was utterly traumatized. 

Nancy had stopped, of course, the second the door opened, and yelled at Mike to knock before he opened the door, but Mike had already closed it and was running down the stairs. He walked into the basement.

"Guys..." He said, gulping. He looked like a wreck.

Dustin and Lucas turned their heads to see their friend. El looked as well. "What's wrong, Mike?" Dustin asked.

"I just... Nancy... um... touching herself..." He muttered, disgusted. "And she was moaning for Jonathan Byers." Mike gulped.

"Ew!" Lucas retorted. "Dude that's nasty!" Dustin joined in.

El didn't even want to know what was going on at that point judging on her friends' reactions. So she stayed quiet and looked around awkwardly.

"Dude, Will would freak out if he heard about this." Dustin said with a laugh.

"Yeah but he'll kill us for not telling him sooner. This is kinda... important I guess." Mike said awkwardly, rubbing his arm.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, guys. We can't tell Will about this. He'll go nuts." He said, looking around. "Spit swear?" He asked. Dustin and Mike nodded. El had never done one, but she'd seen them do it during the week she spent with them, and she nodded as well afterwards.

So, the boys, followed by El, spit on their hands and shook eachother's quickly before walking off to wash their hands off. 

"Dude, look at Mike, he's blushing because he got El's spit on his hand!" Dustin teased, and Mike turned crimson. "N... no. That's gross, Dustin." He murmured. Lucas chuckled as well, slapping his friend's back playfully. "We all know how you feel about her man." The dark-skinned boy replied. If it was possible for Mike to blush any more, he would have. About 10,000 shades.

Finally, El walked out of the bathroom and Mike walked in to wash his own hands. She hadn't overheard their conversation, as they were standing away form her, but she'd heard some laugher and such. 

Eventually it was time for the boys to go home, so they left. Mike let El settle into the blanket fort and his mother let him sleep downstairs as well. She didn't have the heart to tell him no when she saw the lovesick look in his eyes, just like Nancy when she'd returned home. She just didn't know the other details about her eldest daughter's afternoon, which would have been pretty hard to explain. 

Mike fell asleep pretty quickly, but El didn't. She couldn't sleep, so she just watched Mike instead. They were about three feet apart, and she felt like they were separated by miles. But she lay on her side, just like Mike, and they were facing eachother. She looked at the freckles that dappled his pale cheeks and looked at the way his chest rose and fell with each breath. She admired his messy hair and reached out, running her hand through it.

This woke Mike up, but didn't startle him, so he didn't do anything. He didn't want her to stop, especially when she cupped his face in her hand, tracing over his freckled cheek with her thumb. He barely opened one of his eyes, hoping she wouldn't notice, and she didn't. But he tried so hard to contain his blush when he saw her. She had wide, innocent eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair and over his skin, stroking it lightly. He thought she looked adorable.

Finally, he couldn't help himself. He opened his eyes and looked at her. El began to take her hand back when he shook his head. "Keep it there. I like it." He said with a smile. It was a bit of a whisper since he didn't know how tired she was, plus it was very quiet and he didn't want to wake anyone up, even if they were in the basement. "O... okay." El said and smiled slightly, a bit crooked and misunderstood. Just like her. Eventually, Mike moved closer, bringing his sleeping bag with him. He took his arm and wrapped it around El's waist, pulling them together. Her hand was still on his face, but now their foreheads were touching.

And, for the first time, he saw El blush.


	8. Autumn Nights (Jancy Smut!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan sneaks into the Wheeler's house in the middle of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jancy. Mixture of fluff and smut. Be warned.  
> No Mileven in this chapter because they're currently asleep in the basement when this takes place, aka, directly after Chapter 7 lol. Plus, I'm totally neglecting Jancy and I love them so much like Jonathan is such a cute little bean and Nancy is just the cutest so I felt super compelled to do this.  
> Yet again, disclaimer that this is the first time I've written smut lmao.
> 
> Theme Song: I Found by Amber Run

Nancy Wheeler couldn't sleep. Not after her brother walked in on her masturbating. It was too weird. She'd been horny, as usual, and got home, tore off her clothes, and jumped into her bed. Even more weird, she was thinking about Jonathan Byers... again.

She had admittedly done it with him once and was satisfied with the outcome. She would've never guessed he had been a virgin, but he was good, and didn't treat her like a slut. She still wouldn't admit that she was falling in love with the elder Byers, especially after she'd just broken up with Steve, but deep down, she knew it.

Besides, she and Steve were better off as friends. It had been months since she really realized that she was falling for Jonathan, and it was about to hit her like a ton of bricks.

Nancy began to drift into thought when she heard a knock on her window. She jumped a bit, flinching, and quickly pulled on a t-shirt to cover her bare body. She peeked outside of her blinds to see Jonathan Byers. Of course.

So, she opened the window and let him in. He pulled something out from behind his back with a grin and Nancy blushed. It was a red rose. "Jonathan, you didn't have to..." She murmured, looking up at him through her large blue eyes. He just smiled and kissed her forehead lightly, causing a ripple effect. First, he blushed as well. Then, Nancy took the rose from him and cut her finger on one of the thorns. Her heart began to race and she began to have a panic attack as she saw the blood running down her index finger. "No, no, no, no, no." She repeated, looking around.

Jonathan quickly took her finger in his hand and wrapped the corner of his shirt around it to stop the bleeding. Nancy would've blushed but she suddenly burst into tears. She knew that the demogorgon was dead, Eleven had killed it, but she was still afraid. She'd refused to call it a demogorgon. To her, it was just a monster. It didn't deserve it's own name. When the bleeding stopped, Jonathan wiped her tears away and wrapped his arms around her, taking her into a hug. Nancy wept into his shoulder. 

The clock read 2:01 AM before the two of them were kissing. Emotions and hormones combined and Nancy began to gingerly take Jonathan's t-shirt off. He stopped her before it got over his chest. "Are you sure you want to do this, Nance?" He asked. "You seem a little upset." Nancy shook her head. "I'm sure, Jonathan." She murmured. So, he let go of her hand and let her undress him. She studied his body for the second time before he pulled her shirt over her head and ran his hand down onto her light curves.

Nancy was a skinny girl. She had light curves, but a more boyish figure. He liked it. Of course, Jonathan wouldn't care if she had the body of an 85 year old, he loved her. He thought she'd be pretty any way. He ran his hand over her chest after guiding her onto her bed. The pastel walls emitted a pink glow and contrasted against Nancy's pale skin. She seemed to illuminate against the dark. Finally, Jonathan took one of her breasts into his hand, rubbing his thumb against her perky nipple. Nancy looked into his eyes and he gave her a reassuring smile before pressing his lips against it. She shuddered lightly as he took her nipple into his mouth and began to move his tongue around it in circles and swirls. She was trying hard not to moan but she couldn't stop herself.

Jonathan grinned at this. He'd gotten her to moan for the first time that night. He knew she'd be coy about it, but he liked hearing the effects of his work. He liked seeing Nancy in pleasure.

He continued to do that before pulling away and doing the same thing on her other breast, leaving her warm skin for a moment before diving back into the action. Nancy was letting out quiet moans, her breath becoming quicker. He slinked his hand down her smooth-skinned stomach and began to touch her. First, he rubbed her clit gently in circles, the way she'd shown him the other night when they'd first done it. He saw her cover her mouth with her hand as she moaned louder. He enjoyed feeling her wetness, and as he sped up, his fingers caused a squelching sound. Her free hand was digging into the mattress and she eventually gasped, uncovering her mouth, and threw her head back, as he slipped one of his fingers into her. Finally, he pulled away, and she whined slightly, but let out a little yelp as he picked her up. 

Jonathan moved over and was now holding her. He was laying on her back with him in her lap. She reached her arms back and wrapped them around his neck as he began to finger her again, this time faster and more intense. He used his free hand to play with her nipple, grinning as she moaned and arched her back for him. He was so glad she had broken up with Steve. To quote Jonathan's thoughts at the moment, 'That air-headed jock would probably fuck her and go. I doubt he took the time to please her.'

Finally, Nancy came, and she came hard. Jonathan had to move his free hand to cover her mouth as she moaned loudly, and he smirked again, before kissing the nape of her neck. She was panting lightly and shuddering, before she closed her eyes. She proceeded to move over and reached for his cock before he stopped her. "No need." He said, shaking his hand. 

"But, Jon, it's only fair." Nancy said, tilting her head. He chuckled and shook his head, holding her hand. "I don't mind. Unless... unless you want to, of course." He muttered after that, mesmerized by her innocent stare. She smiled and kissed the top of his nose before positioning him infront of her. "Here, let's move." He said and she nodded suddenly, realizing how uncomfortable it would be if she'd stayed like that. So, she moved over and he crawled on top of her. She was on her back.

He positioned himself before pushing in. She was still tight, even though this was the third time she'd done it. He was surprised she didn't have sex with Steve while he was still around during the period of time after they'd first done it, but she thought something was up with him and decided not to. Steve had agreed though, thinking it was PTSD from the events of November 1983. Jonathan could see right through her though. When she took his virginity, he saw the lustful look that clouded her crystal blue eyes. He knew what she was doing, and she did too.

Nancy was letting out little squeaks as Jonathan thrusted in and out. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and he grunted slightly, getting used to her tightness. 

After a few minutes, Jonathan came. He pulled out and reached down, but she did it instead. Nancy pumped him hard and fast and he came suddenly, onto her face.

Nancy walked into the bathroom and cleaned herself up before pulling her t-shirt back on. She came back into the room to see Jonathan waiting for her. She walked back over to him. He pulled his boxers back on while she was dressing and pulled her into a tight embrace. She smiled, breathing against his chest as he held her close. She turned off the light that was on, beside her bedside table, and pulled the covers over herself. Jonathan pulled her closer, all of their limbs less than centimeters apart, most of them pressed together, and kissed the crown of her head. He stayed awake for a little while to make sure that she fell asleep, and was relieved to hear her breathing even out. He soon fell asleep shortly after.

Nancy decided the next morning that she had never slept better in her entire life.


	9. 3rd Day of School: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Heartstrings by Leighton Meester

It was now Wednesday morning, and Mike had to go to school so he wouldn't be behind for the first week. When Karen sent Nancy Wheeler downstairs to wake her brother up, she saw him cuddled up with Eleven and smiled softly. 

Mike was holding her waist and she had her arms around his neck. The two were less than centimeters apart and their foreheads were touching, just as they were the night before. Mike and El's legs were tangled together in a mess and the blanket was partially thrown off. Nancy reached down and tapped her brother's arm once. He didn't stir. So, she tapped him again and he finally woke up, groaning a bit. He realized that El was still asleep and that chances are, she wouldn't be attending school with him. Not yet. So, he quietly peeled himself away from her.

He looked at Nancy. "I swear to God, if the guys hear about this, you're dead." He warned. Nancy just chuckled and patted his back. "Don't worry, I won't. As long... as long as you don't tell them about yesterday." She replied awkwardly. What she didn't know was that they already knew, but Mike decided to convince her otherwise. "Promise." He muttered. He wanted to grin, he'd managed to trick his smart older sister, finally, but he couldn't give it away. So, she left, and Mike walked upstairs. He looked at El once more. She had curled up, still asleep, missing his warmth. He noticed the blanket was off and walked back down quietly, pulling it over her. He looked around to make sure no one else was there, and kissed her forehead lightly.

He knew she was asleep and was glad she couldn't see his blush, because he looked like a tomato. He finally walked upstairs and hesitantly closed the basement door, hoping not to wake El up with the noise. He knew she was a light sleeper, but she had stayed up pretty late, so he figured she'd sleep like a bear at that point.

Mike went up to his room and got dressed. He smiled when he saw a familiar green striped shirt in his dresser and pulled it on, with his khakis and a jacket. He grabbed his socks, pulling them on gingerly, before putting on his shoes and running down the stairs. He grabbed an eggo for El, putting it into the toaster, and got himself one as well. He ate rather quickly, wanting to leave El's beside her before she woke up, in case he was gone when she did. 

So, he put hers on a plate and gobbled his own up, walking back downstairs with her breakfast. He placed it beside the sleeping girl and walked back upstairs, checking, yet again, to make sure she was still asleep before leaving for school.

Mike hopped onto his bike to see Lucas, next door, doing the same thing. "LUCAS!" He yelled, getting his friend's attention. Lucas turned to him and grinned. "How's El?" He asked, noticing Mike's returning blush. "S... she's good." Mike replied, shuffling his feet as he began to pedal. Lucas caught up next to him and smiled. "Come on, let's get to school. Yesterday you missed some math notes, but that's it. English was just reviewing the syllabus and so was Science. You should ask Dustin about the others. Oh, and Will's coming back next Monday." Lucas updated, Mike nodding every few seconds as he received the information. 

The two boys chatted about school as they headed off towards the familiar building. Hawkins was quiet that morning, and suddenly, Lucas piped up a question. "Hey, do you know if El can come to school with us?" He asked, looking at the other boy who looked equally as puzzled. "I don't know, but I don't think it'll be anytime soon. She has to get caught up on everything, remember?" Mike replied quaintly. Lucas nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

"Do... do you think Will is gonna like her?" Lucas asked. Mike shrugged. "There's no reason for him not to. He might just get a bit spooked or something, but I don't see why not." He said, not worried about the situation at all. Lucas nodded along, losing his concern. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just worried he'll get jealous or something. Because, ya know, we do spend a lot of time with her." 

Mike shook his head. "Come on, Will's not the jealous type. He wouldn't get mad over something like that anyways. Plus, starting next Monday, he can come see El and we can all hang out together!" He smiled, and Lucas did too. "Okay. Let's park the bikes, we're here." He replied and the two hopped off, walking their bikes over to the bike rack and locking them up. They passed a weary looking Troy before he finally stepped up. "Don't have fairy to protect you now, do you? Or that freak girl from last year." He chuckled, and James snorted. Mike's hands balled up into fists, but he didn't do anything. He couldn't. It was bothering him so much though.

"Dude, don't do anything stupid." Lucas said, nudging Mike after he'd noticed his hands. Mike calmed down and the two kept walking. Troy raised his voice.

"Seriously though, who would've thought a girl would even hang out with these creeps. Even if she was just as freaky as them. What should we call her, James?" Troy asked, mocking the boys rather loudly. A few heads were now turned, staring as Mike and Lucas kept walking, Troy and James following them. "What about lab rat? She looks like some kind of experiment gone wrong!" He snarked, laughing. Troy slapped his hand onto his leg, laughing hard. With this, Mike turned to face him. "You don't even know her. She'll break your arm again if she hears anything about this." He growled. It was very... un-Mike. 

Troy grinned. "Ooh, looks like frog-face needs his girlfriend to protect him again. What, too scared to come after me yourself?" He mocked. James smirked beside him.

Now, Lucas was turned around too. "Oh, come on, Troy. You couldn't even beat Will Byers. He kicked your ass on Monday." The other boy snickered, his lip curled slightly. 

James spoke now. "Come on, Troy, let's get to class." He said, nudging his friend. Troy rolled his eyes. "Whatever." 

And as the two walked away, Troy looked back at Mike and Lucas. "I'm glad she's gone. No one in Hawkins would ever want to be around that psycho." He spat.

Instead of giving Troy another black eye, Mike grinned to himself after he turned around. "I can't wait until El's in school with us." He muttered, looking over at Lucas, who nodded. "Troy's so screwed if he messes with us while El's around. She'll kick his ass." He smirked back. The two walked into English, Dustin finally catching up, trailing behind them for a few minutes.

"What was that?" Dustin asked, his curly hair looking as unruly as usual.

Mike grinned to himself. "Troy's not gonna know what hit him." He said under his breath, for only Dustin and Lucas to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I know! I'm writing one more today though. :)


	10. The Mathematician

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Dream by Imagine Dragons

Eleven woke up sharply, covered in sweat. She was breathing heavily and looked to her side frantically.

Mike wasn't there.

She began to call his name and search desperately, when she saw an eggo waffle sitting on a plate beside where her "bed" was, with a small note. She could read- not too well, but she had been taught basic skills so she could translate messages while she was in the lab.

She hesitantly picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it.

El,

I'm at school. Don't panic. There's an eggo in case you're hungry. I'll be back at 4:00. When the clock says four zero zero.

Mike.

El let out a sign of relief, before picking up the eggo. It was still a tiny bit warm, which meant he couldn't have left it there too long ago. She ate it slowly, savoring it, as she usually ate quickly and rushed through meals. It wasn't enjoyable to do that, but she found in the process of savoring it she enjoyed eating a lot more. She remembered things from the week she'd stayed with Mike in November of '83. He had to attend school five days of the week, and came home every afternoon. She knew where he was now, and she felt a lot more relaxed. She was still uneasy though.

That school carried bad memories with it, almost like a curse. El was honestly afraid of it, even though she knew it would be better to confront her fear instead of let it fester. She felt her hands shake as she became lost in her thoughts. The demogorgon, standing there in the science lab, reaching out towards her as it screamed. Papa, who had tried to take her back in the hallway, cradling her in his arms. His hold felt like a rose- sickly sweet from it's cliché fakeness with thorns that could stab their way into her heart.

Of course, El didn't know he was dead. She was hesitant to go outside anymore, afraid he would see her and take her back into the lab. She didn't even know that the lab had given up on her. The boys had yet to explain that to her as well. She had a lot to learn, and would be learning it very shortly.

El dragged herself upstairs after eating the eggo and saw Karen trying desperately to entertain Holly while she sat with some papers on the kitchen table. El walked over to her hesitantly. "Do you... need... help?" El managed to say, trying so hard to form a sentence. She'd help El learn more sentences later, but for now, she was doing just fine. 

"Oh, I was just working on some bills while Holly was supposed to sleep... she's a picky girl." Karen shrugged. El turned to Holly and looked back at Karen. "I can help." 

Karen smiled, and El returned it, sweetly. "That would be wonderful, sweetie." The mother replied. El sat down next to Holly, feeling the tile against her clothed legs, through the soft fabric. She proceeded to roll a ball around with Holly, who giggled every time it came her way. El was pleased to know that she was entertaining the young child. It seemed like she was always the one who got negative attention, and to be watching Holly's childish reactions, it made her feel better about everything in a way.

After a while, Holly began to get tired. The toddler clambered up onto the unsuspecting El's lap, falling asleep. El cradled her instinctively and looked up at Karen. "She fell asleep." El whispered, looking at the small girl who was dreaming in her arms. Karen's eyes widened. "Wow. No one's managed to get her to fall asleep that easily. Here, I'll take her upstairs." The older woman murmured in surprise. She picked her daughter up and took her upstairs. Holly whined in her sleep when she was taken from El, but she didn't wake. 

Karen came back downstairs to see El sitting down at the table, looking at the papers. She had taken the calculator sitting next to her and was punching in numbers accordingly. "Sweetie, what are you doing?" Karen asked, walking over.

El had calculated Karen's electricity bill. 

Karen was surprised at El's math skills. She didn't know that El had very basic schooling in the lab. Only enough to give her decent knowledge on extremely easy subjects, but she was a smart girl and knew how things worked. "Wow..." Karen muttered, yet again surprised by El. She picked up the paper and wrote down the numbers El gave her.

Karen's bills were done that afternoon, and she could thank El for it. The two sat there for around an hour and a half, splitting the time Karen usually took, even with Ted's help occasionally, to do her bills, in half. By the time lunch rolled around, Karen heated up a slice of pizza for El, who gladly tried it, and, as usual, loved it. 

The two talked a bit and bonded over their knowledge of Mike before a knock was heard at the door. El froze up. "Don't worry, it's probably my friend. She's coming over to discuss some things with me about her son." Karen assured, walking up to the door. "Joyce!" She said as she opened it. Another woman, around the same age as Karen, stood on the other side. She looked extremely familiar, but El couldn't pinpoint where from- until she realized...

Joyce was Will's mother. She was the kind woman who held El after she'd contacted Will. She was the legendary psycho mom that Hawkins was buzzing about for weeks, even after the entire scenario went down. 

And it seemed that Joyce had noticed El as well, right after she walked in.

"Are you... are you Eleven?" Joyce asked, her jaw hanging open. Her eyes were comically wide as she stood there, mouth gaping, staring at the little girl.

"Yes..." El muttered.

Suddenly Joyce had run over to her and taken the girl into a tight hug. "I knew you could do it... you're such a blessing. Thank you so much... you saved my son!" Joyce rambled on for about five minutes before Karen coughed a bit and Joyce turned to look at her friend. "She... she saved Will. From that... place." Joyce said, spitting out the word 'place'. Karen then nodded understandingly, taking in the information. "Oh, sweetie, I'll have to take you to come see Will soon! He'd love to meet you." She said. El smiled politely and nodded. She wanted to see Will again. It had been a while and she figured that they'd be friends in no time.

"Karen, is it okay if I take her to see Will soon?" Joyce asked, looking back to the other woman. Karen shrugged. "It's fine with me. She's just staying with us for now. Poor thing has nowhere to go." She muttered. Joyce's face crumpled. "What do you mean?" She asked. Karen looked back at her, tearing her gaze away from El, whose face had seemingly gotten sadder as well. "She... she just... the boys found her and brought her here. She doesn't have parents." Joyce gasped slightly. "I... wow. What are you doing to do? Surely you can't keep her here, Karen, you already have Nancy, Mike, and Holly. You can't seriously handle a fourth child. Fifth if you count Ted. He might as well be a kid if you ask me." Joyce pondered. It was a well-known fact that the Byers woman did not like Ted. To be honest, no one did. Ted was an asshole.

Karen shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess all we can do is put her into foster care."

"No!" Joyce interjected suddenly. "No." She said, more calmly. El was looking confused and afraid. "Don't worry honey, we'll figure something out, okay?" Joyce told El, putting her hand on the tiny girl's shoulder to reassure her. El nodded softly. Karen spoke up. "Here, why don't you go down to the basement. You could also go up to Mike's room and look around if you want. I don't think he'd care. I need to talk to Joyce in private for a moment." 

El nodded and left, disappearing down into the basement. She didn't want to go into Mike's room- not with the closet. Plus, she refused to invade his privacy.

Joyce turned to Karen. "I'll take her." She said suddenly. It was more of a murmur, but loud enough for Karen to hear.

"What? Joyce- you already have two kids. You can't handle another one!" 

"Yes I can! You handle three. Plus, Jonathan is graduating soon. He won't really count after that."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive. I'll talk to Will and Jon about it this afternoon. They'll understand. Plus, I'm sure they'll be excited to have a sister. Especially one who saved their lives."

Meanwhile, El had no idea what was going on. She was laying in the blanket fort, holding the Supercomm. It was damaged and old, but it still worked. She played with the buttons and knobs before hearing a roaring noise. She quickly turned it off and covered her ears, beginning to cry softly. It sounded just like the demogorgon.

She had killed the demogorgon. It was dead. But whenever her PTSD struck, it was like she had totally forgotten about that. She felt like it was back, back to get her and all of her friends. Back to get revenge. 

And it was like she couldn’t breathe. She felt her chest tighten up and her breaths get more shallow. She curled up into a little ball, covering herself with the blanket. She was hiding. Hiding from the demogorgon. Hiding from Papa. Hiding from the Upside Down.

She stayed there, curled up in the fetal position, for hours. She fell asleep eventually, tears drying on her cheeks. Blood running from her nose, a tiny bit from her ears. She’d used her powers to stop the noise from ringing inside of her head. But it strained her. 

Finally, there was a knock. El sat up, confused. She looked at the watch that was sitting by the note and the empty plate. It said four one seven. Mike was home!

He came downstairs and then stopped when he saw her face. Dustin and Lucas followed, but stopped as well. Mike came running down and scooped her into a hug. He didn’t know what had happened, but he knew it was bad. The other boys followed him and hugged her as well, joining in. She needed it. 

After a few moments, Lucas pulled away, followed by Dustin. Mike pulled away last, hesitating at first. He never wanted to pull away from her. In fact, if he could, he’d stay there, holding her, forever.

Of course, he couldn’t. But he wouldn’t mind doing so if he was given the choice.

Lucas and Dustin were sitting awkwardly for a moment before Dustin spoke up. “So… wanna watch Star Wars?” He asked, shuffling his feet as he stood up. Lucas nodded in agreement and Mike muttered ‘yes’ before standing up. He helped El stand as well and when Dustin and Lucas were turned away, she squeezed the hand he’d used to hoist her up. It made his heart flutter. 

The two crowded around the tv in the living room as Mike put the tape into the VCR. He took his seat beside Eleven and the other boys couldn’t help but be distracted from the movie as they watched the two slowly inch their hands together until they were holding.


	11. Take me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Flicker - Son Lux

Will Byers woke up with a sudden, sharp inhale. He looked around, frantically getting up. Where was his mother? Where was Jonathan? He had a horrible nightmare.

It was about the girl. The one with the shaved head. She had come into their family and destroyed it. She had killed his mother, killed his brother, and made him sit there and watch it. He couldn't let that happen. Whoever she was, in his mind, she was evil. He would never let her get too close to him.

Three days later...

Mike Wheeler was annoyed. Today was the day that Eleven was supposed to leave his house and move in with the Byers. He knew, but she didn't. It was going to be a huge surprise. Of course, he knew she wouldn't be able to stay with them forever. Hell, his mother without a doubt saw the way he looked at her by now. It had been nearly a week since El had come back. Will would be back in school soon and the boys would be able to hang out with him again.

So, Mike walked downstairs to wake Eleven up. It was his job to wake her, Nancy's to distract her, and Karen's to take her to the Byers, where she'd be introduced to everyone and settle in. Joyce, or Mrs. Byers to the boys, was going to take El shopping so she could get some clothes, instead of wearing the Wheeler kids' old rags. Mike couldn't wait to see what El would choose. Personally, he believed she'd be pretty in anything. He really did.

Afterwards, Nancy was going to help El decorate her room. The boys all agreed to pitch in. They'd help put together things like a dresser and a desk for El and when they asked Will if he would help them as well, he strangely refused. Mike wondered why for a minute before remembering his task.

He tapped Eleven's shoulder lightly, hesitant to wake her. She looked adorable there... curled up in a little ball, covered by blankets. He remembered waking up right after the movie had ended to see her resting her head over his, which was on her shoulder. The other two boys were chuckling lightly. When they went home, Mike gently picked her up, surprised at how light she was. He then remembered- she'd been in the Upside Down for an entire year and hardly ate anyways. So, he carried her downstairs, bridal-style, and placed her in the blanket fort. He had the urge to stay there and sleep with her, but he knew his mom would be mad. She'd let it slide the first few times, but he was pushing his luck.

He smiled softly as he thought about the previous night before waking himself from his little daydream. He pressed his arm against her before tapping her again. "Eleven... time for you to get up." He said softly. She groaned and then opened one of her eyes lazily. He smiled down at her. "Come on, we're making eggoooooos!" He said, making sure she heard him. El sat straight up, grinning. "Okay." She said excitedly. Her eyes were bright.

'Damn she likes eggos.' Mike thought, nearly saying it out loud. He thought almost everything about her was adorable, especially her love for the frozen toaster waffles. 

The two walked up stairs, El grabbing Mike's hand quickly and sloppily. He blushed and smiled, lacing her fingers with his, as they usually did. When they got into the sight of Karen and Nancy, who were waiting for El in the kitchen, the two of them let go. They weren't eager for Mike's parents to see them holding hands. Or anyone for that matter. Especially the boys. Mike figured that would be awful. 

He didn't really realize that they'd seen their PDA quite a few times. He'd figure it out later. But for now, he was his usual self- oblivious, easily-embarrassed (adorable in El's opinion) Mike.

El sat down at the dining table next to Mike and began to eat her eggo. She looked over at Mike who was watching her. When she noticed his staring, he quickly turned and began to eat his own food, pretending that she never caught him. El almost chuckled a little bit, but she figured it'd be a little embarrassing for him with his mother and older sister sitting less than three feet in front of them, eating their own breakfast peacefully.

"Hey, El, do you want to come upstairs with me after breakfast? I wanna talk to you really quickly." Nancy quickly said, following her part of the plan. El nodded softly. "Sure." She replied quaintly. Mike forgot completely about the plan and spoke up. "What could you possibly want to talk about, Nance?" He asked, curious. Nancy chuckled and kicked him from under the table. "Girl stuff."

El and Nancy headed up to her room. Nancy opened the door and Eleven remembered the pastel pink walls and light colored decorations everywhere. She loved Nancy's room. It was so... gentle. Just like Nancy.

Of course, El had never seen Nancy fighting the demogorgon. Something told her she didn't want to know, either.

Nancy sat El down on her bed and pulled out a box. El looked over Nancy's shoulder and noticed her shaking softly. She was holding something- a black and white photograph. Her hands were trembling. She sat back down on the bed next to El and turned to her. "This was Barb, my best friend... is! This IS Barb." Nancy stuttered through a few tears. She was smiling a little bit, wiping her eyes. "She was the girl you looked for in the Upside Down."

El nodded. "I know." She said. Nancy looked from the photograph to the little girl. "Did... did you ever find her?" Nancy asked out of complete curiosity. She knew, deep down, that she didn't want to know the answer, but she had to. 

"Yes..." El began. Nancy's heart sunk. "She... she was in a pool." The younger girl said, scratching the back of her head nervously. She didn't want to upset Nancy. Mike's older sister sighed. "Was she..." She began. El shook her head. "I... I was too late."

Nancy shook her head, putting it in her hands as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I could've been better to her, Eleven. I could've been a better friend." Nancy cried. El put her arm on Nancy's. "She was lucky to have you as a friend, Nancy. Anyone would be." Nancy and El shared a short smile before they heard Karen on the steps. "Hold on mom, just a sec!" Nancy called right as Karen was about to knock on the door. Nancy wiped the running mascara from her eyes and quickly touched it up again before opening the door. "She's all yours." 

Karen smiled at her daughter and took El downstairs. When the two got in the car, El looked around with curiosity. She'd never been in a car before and it was rather strange. Just the bikes that the bots rode around everywhere. She'd seen cars, of course, they were everywhere. But she'd never ridden in one. She sat in the backseat next to Mike. Nancy sat in the front and, of course, Karen was driving. El looked at everything, studying the way Karen turned the key to turn on the engine and listening as it flickered on, making a roaring sound. El covered her ears, frightened, but Mike put his hand on her arm, just like she'd done to Nancy. He smiled at her and she knew everything was alright. So, she uncovered her ears and sat back, relaxing. Mike helped her with her seatbelt and the car drove slowly, for El's comfort, to the Byers' house.

Joyce was waiting excitedly at the door for her new daughter to arrive. She was yet to discuss adoption papers with Hopper, but she'd do it eventually. The two had been meeting up a lot, and went on a few dates, even. Of course, he was still good ol' Hop, but she wasn't about to tell the boys anything about their relationship. They only ever went out during week days when the boys were in school and Hopper was on break. 

Soon, she heard a car pull up into the driveway and stood up excitedly, clapping her hands together. Jonathan was excited too, and was on the edge of his seat. He wanted desperately to see Nancy, but also Eleven. He was truly ecstatic. Will… well… he was nothing like the other two. He was annoyed, tapping his foot against the floor as he waited for the door to open. He was dreading it like he dreaded his mysterious ‘appointments’ from months ago, when he had to go by the lab and get checked out by the doctors there. He knew it was where the strange girl came from, but it didn’t scare him. His mother told him not to trust the people there, but he didn’t care. They never hurt him, so why should he believe they did anything wrong to this girl? If his dream was right, she was evil. And she was probably a liar as well.

Will braced himself as Joyce walked towards the door, hearing the bell ring. She opened it and Karen walked in, followed by Nancy and Mike. Finally, El stepped in. Will studied her. She had soft brown hair and a gentle smile as she looked shyly up at their mother. No… his mother. He didn’t feel comfortable with that girl calling his mom ‘mom’. Only he and Jonathan could do that in his mind.

Everyone chatted for a moment before Jonathan took El by the hand, seeing that she was nervous. The two sat down on the couch next to Will, who was glaring at her. “I know all about you.” He said through gritted teeth. 

“You… you remember me?” El asked with a small smile, glad that nothing else had happened. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” She said, reaching out to shake his hand like Karen had taught her when they first officially met. 

To her surprise, Will slapped her hand away. “Don’t touch me! I know why you’re here! You’re just going to hurt us!”

That shocked everyone. All heads turned as Will yelled and slapped El’s hand away before he noticed and got up, storming into his room. The door slammed and El sat back, her smile disappearing. It had been gone for a few seconds now, but she looked truly upset.

Jonathan was furious. He got up and walked right after his brother before El got up and ran off as well. She opened the door and just ran, sprinting straight into the forest. She got tired of running eventually and sat down, curling into a tiny ball made up of Nancy’s old leggings and one of Mike’s sweaters.

She heard someone yelling her name, but surprisingly enough, it wasn’t Mike. It was Joyce. She found the little girl crying to herself and sat down beside her, taking her hands into hers. “Hey, sweetie, it’s okay. Will’s just… nervous.” She tried to explain. El looked up at her, nose red and eyes watering. “But… it’s my fault… he ran away.” She sobbed quietly. Joyce shook her head. “No, Eleven, it’s not your fault. He’s nervous because you’re… you’re going to be his new sister!” Joyce said with a smile. El tilted her head. “R… really? But… I thought I was staying with the Wheelers.” She said.

Joyce chuckled. “Well, you were, but not permanently. Now you get to live with us. Come on, I’ll show you your room and everything. We can decorate it too, Nancy’s going to take you out in a few days so you can get some proper stuff. For now, we got you a mattress to sleep on and a little table that you can use as a desk, but it’s only temporary.” Joyce replied. El stood up with the help of the older woman. “Thank you Mrs. Byers.” El said shyly.

“You can call me mom.” Joyce replied with a gentle smile.


	12. Forgive and Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Ruby by tøp

Will slammed his door before sitting down on his bed and slamming his fist down on the soft fabric of his comforter. Suddenly, Jonathan opened the door and slammed it again.

“What the hell was that, Will?” Jon asked, looking furious. He was looking over Will like a dark shadow, but the younger brother knew how to counter this attack. It was like D&D- strategize and go for it, but nothing could’ve helped him strategize for this.

“She’s going to hurt you guys! Haven’t you seen what she can do?” Will asked, looking at his brother like he was stupid. Will couldn’t believe that his brother couldn’t see what was going on. “I had a dream, Jon. She killed you and mom.” He said, waving his hands in the air. 

Jon curled his lip. “You had a bad dream, Will. A bad dream. And you just hurt her pretty bad. If I had those powers, you’d be bleeding right now. Besides, Will, she saved your fucking life! And how do you repay her? You slap her hand and run off! You’re acting like a child, Will!” The older brother snapped.

Will knew he was serious. Jonathan didn’t curse unless he was really mad.

“You… you don’t get it, do you?! Maybe she was the reason I got stuck there in the first place!” Will growled. Jonathan backed up and opened the door.

“Well, whenever your little pity party is over and you feel like being a decent brother, come out and meet El. Oh- and I’d apologize if I were you. Mom’s not gonna want to put up with this shit when you come out.” He snarled back.

And Jon left. Will sat there, alone, and curled up in his bed. He knew he’d messed up, but he couldn’t always tell the difference between nightmare and reality. Ever since the Upside Down, he’d had flashbacks and even seen things and he didn’t trust this girl at all. But for some odd reason, everyone around him did.

Meanwhile, Joyce and Eleven walked back to the house. Joyce wiped off the younger girl’s tears so she wouldn’t be embarrassed and took her inside. Everyone’s heads turned to see the two and Mike sighed with relief. She walked over and sat down next to Mike on the couch, reaching over and holding his hand lightly. She didn’t care who saw, she just needed to be there, with him. Everyone else was smirking and Joyce was even giggling a little when they noticed this, but the two didn’t care. They were quite happy in the moment and nothing could ruin that.

Jon came out of his brother’s room and took a seat next to El with Mike on the other side of his new sister. “Sorry about that, he’s just having a bad day. He’s a little freaked out. Shocked I guess. We all are. Welcome to the family, El!” Jonathan said, putting his arm around her. El flinched at first but became more comfortable with it and slowly began to lean into the embrace.

She could tell she was going to like it there.

Eventually, Joyce and Karen went into the kitchen to make some food. Mike went to go find Will. He had to say something about what had happened earlier, even if Jonathan had absolutely roasted him. He didn’t care. Will, even if he was his best friend, had messed with El, and to Mike, that wasn’t okay.

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Nancy ran off to do god-knows-what and Eleven was left alone. She sat on the sofa and looked around, quite lonely. So, she slowly began to fall asleep and let herself fall into a deep slumber. She was tired, even if it had only been a few hours since she had woken up. She needed a quick nap.

Mike marched into Will’s room, opening the door. “Will!” He snapped. “What’s going on with you?!” Will turned to face him angrily. “You don’t understand! She’s going to kill all of us! You’re so dumb sometimes, Mike!”

“No, Will, you’re the dumb one here. She didn’t do anything to you, and El would never hurt any of us!” Mike hissed back, his hands curling into fists, just like they had with Troy mentioning her. 

“Can’t you just see behind your lovesickness? She’s only bringing trouble! She came the night I left? That’s not ironic at all? And when she showed up, the demogorgon came too! Don’t you think that was even a little bit sketchy?!” Will tried to reason.

“No, El’s not like that. She wouldn’t hurt us. She saved your life, Will. You know what… if you mess with her, you mess with me. If you don’t apologize to her, consider our friendship over.” He snapped, leaving suddenly. Will curled up into a ball, just like El was on the sofa. He fell asleep.

It was another dream, but this time it was different. There she was again, that “evil” girl with the shaved head. Will saw Troy and James and then Lucas, Dustin, Mike, and Eleven looking at them on the gym bleachers. Then, afterwards, Mike approached the goons to defend him. El even stepped up. She made Troy piss himself. Will admittedly laughed a little bit. The girl had spunk.

Then he saw when Mike nearly jumped at the quarry. If it was a movie, he’d be on the edge of his seat. He didn’t know how he was seeing these images or if they even happened, but he was seeing a new side to Eleven. 

She picked him up gently and placed him on the ground using her powers. She even broke Troy’s arm. He saw so many other scenes too, and even watched Mike and El kiss. He realized how his friend felt for the girl and understood what was going on in Mike’s mind.

Then, the dream took a turn for the worse. He saw the girl, in a pink dress and blue flannel, with long socks that were green and white and a pair of sneakers. She was in the Upside Down. 

Then he realized something. She’d sacrificed herself to save the others. His friends. She saved his life on top of that. He saw her struggle through the Upside Down. When he woke up, he heard sobbing quiet sobbing from the other room.

Will creaked open his door just a tiny bit to see Mike holding El in a warm embrace. “El, it was just a dream.” He said, stroking her head with his thumb as he cradled her face. She nodded into his shoulder but was still crying. “W… why does he… h… hate me?” Eleven managed to choke out. Mike shook his head. “He doesn’t hate you, he’s just confused. I promise, he won’t do anything like that ever again. I don’t know what got into him.” He said, holding her there for a few more minutes.

Will felt like an asshole. He got off to the worst possible start with this girl who had been through so much and had hurt one of his best friends in the process. Even his brother was mad with him, and he had no doubt that Joyce was furious.

Then, the time came. Mike and El got off of the sofa and walked into the kitchen to eat with everyone else. He didn’t see them for a while after that, so he sat back down on his bed and pulled out his sketchbook. It had been a gift given to him by Dustin while he was in the hospital, so he wouldn’t be bored while he was recovering. Mike had gotten him a Star Wars action figure and Lucas brought him colored pencils.

He began to sketch the features of a certain somebody, his pencil pressing gently against the pages. He creeped closer to the door until everyone was in view and he smiled to himself, beginning to be satisfied with the outcome of his sketch.

He spent the rest of the night on it, tracing over every line and pressing his colored pencils down as hard as they could and fading them out to give shading effects. He sharpened his pencils countless times and worked hard before finally finishing at around 3 am. He had heard everyone leave and Joyce send Eleven to her room to go to sleep.

Joyce cracked the door open even farther to catch Will in the act, staring at his own creation. “Will, what are you doing?! It’s 3:00 in the morning! You should’ve gone to sleep hours ago.” She scowled. “Mom… I’m sorry about earlier I… I was wrong.” Will said, looking down. Joyce huffed. “Yes, Will, you were. But you shouldn’t be apologizing to me, and you’re lucky I’m not extending your grounding.” She replied, still frowning. “Go to sleep. We’ll discuss this tomorrow when she goes out to shop with Nancy.” Joyce left and Will sighed, turning off his light.

El woke up early. She looked around, scared by her surroundings, before remembering that she was at the Byers house. Her new house. She held the blanket up before holding it close, cuddling it almost. She then put it down and stood up, unbalanced slightly. She toppled over for a moment before gaining her balance and walking into the kitchen. There was an eggo on a plate on the table and a cup of some kind of orange liquid. El was very confused but she saw a note beside it.

“El, I’m going to work. Jon and Will are here, still asleep I’m presuming. Mike told me you liked eggos so I bought a box last night after you fell asleep. Wake Jon up if you need anything.

xoxo  
Joyce”

El sat down and ate her eggo quickly. She looked at the orange liquid before taking a hesitant sip. She liked this juice and decided that she would have it more often. She got bored a few minutes later and decided to wake Jonathan up to ask him if he could show her around.

El hesitantly knocked on his door before he opened it, dressed and everything. El was wearing only a t-shirt, like the night she’d first showed up in the pouring rain in Mirkwood. When Mike found her. When he took her in.

Jon smiled. “Morning, El. Is everything okay?” He asked, looking at her. Compared to El, Jonathan was like a sequoia tree. He was huge. But then again, everyone was huge to Eleven. She was about 4 “5 and he was probably 6 “1. Everyone had grown in the year she had been gone. Mike had a growth spurt and was now probably 5 “1. Dustin was around 4 “9. Lucas was 4 “11. El always felt like a child around them because she was so petite. Her stick-thin figure didn’t help either. She was slowly but surely gaining back healthy weight. 

El nodded softly. “Yes… l’m… lonely.” She said, rubbing her arm with her other hand shyly. Jon nodded. “It’s okay. Do you want me to drop you off at the Wheeler’s? Mom wanted me to, but I didn’t think you’d be awake this early. I can take you now if you want though.” He said.

El nodded, hearing the name ‘Wheeler’. She scampered off to her room to get ready. Little did she know, Jonathan’s heart fluttered when he heard that name too. Just for a different person.

El pulled on some clothes Joyce had given her. She wore a pair of black shorts and a simple dark blue and yellow striped sweater. It was huge on her but she didn’t mind. It was warm and it reminded her of Joyce- which was perfect for El. She was always cold anyways.

She came into the living room to see Will sitting on the sofa. They met eyes before El quickly walked into the other direction, looking scared. Will began to attempt calling after her, but she was gone too quickly, sitting outside. 

He was going to apologize, but he was too scared now. Now that he had seen what he did to her. Admittedly, he hadn’t thought about how she would feel if he was wrong. He thought he was right. He legitimately thought this girl was going to hurt him and his family. He saw what he did wrong. 

He had stayed up all night working on something- a portrait of her. He drew the girl he saw in his dream, not the girl who stood infront of him a day before. She wore the faded pink dress and ripped flannel with the socks and shoes. She had damaged eyes and shaved hair. He drew her with a soft smile and erased where he’d sketched a line of blood running from her nose. He couldn’t bring himself to do that to her. 

El headed outside and Jonathan was waiting for her in the car. She climbed into the front seat and buckled her seatbelt after some help and the two drove off. They pulled up in the Wheelers’ driveway a few minutes later, the two present Byers siblings hopping out of the car excitedly. El still didn’t know how she was considered a “sister”, but she liked it. It felt nice to have a brother like Jonathan. He was there for her. 

Jonathan knocked on the door and although they didn’t know it, both Wheeler siblings were rushing to the door, fighting eachother through the hallway to answer first and see who it was. The door opened and there stood two out-of-breath kids, each trying to act much cooler than they were. “Hey, El.” Mike greeted, smiling. Nancy elbowed him. “Hi, Jonathan.” She said afterwards. She wanted to stare daggers into her brother but she couldn’t. Not with Jonathan there. So she didn’t. 

“Hey Nance. What’s up, Mike?” Jon asked, hugging both of them. El saw him do this and did the same thing. First Nancy and then Mike. When she got to him, he blushed. He always blushed, but she never noticed it because she was too busy trying to calm her rushing heart. 

Everyone managed to awkwardly hustle inside, Nancy shutting the door. After about five seconds of awkwardness, both couples ditched the scene. Nancy and Jonathan ran upstairs and Mike and El went down to the basement. Waiting for them was Lucas and Dustin. “Hey, El, where’s Will?” Dustin asked excitedly. She looked down and Mike spoke up for her. “He’s not coming. He messed up.” He growled a bit. 

“What do you mean, ‘messed up’?” Lucas asked, furrowing his brow. “He… he hit her yesterday.” Mike said lowly. He was looking rather agitated. “What?!” Dustin asked, sitting up. “Dude, stop with the bullshit, Will wouldn’t do that.” 

“But he did.”

“That’s messed up, man. Did he say why?”

“No, but I told him afterwards if he didn’t apologize I wouldn’t talk to him anymore.” Mike huffed. He was scooting closer and closer to El, feeling more protective of her. He didn’t want anyone to hurt her. Not again. Not now. Not ever. 

Lucas sighed. “Let’s just get on with the game.” He said gruffly, not wanting to pick sides. Lucas was never one to pick sides- unless it was his own. And he was the most stubborn of the group. He’d pick a fight and try hard to prove his point. Mike thought he’d probably be a lawyer when he grew up. Everyone else agreed. 

So, they began. Mike had worked on a campaign all week and was starting it now. Since it was early in the morning, they’d probably be able to finish it before the next day.

Meanwhile, Will was sitting in his living room, staring at the drawing he had made. He got up and opened the door to El’s room. He was glad he didn’t see her there- it would’ve been awkward to hand her the drawing and apologize, so he placed it on her makeshift desk and left it there. He was sure she’d know he made it.

He left a note beside it but scrapped it. He realized it would be better for him to apologize in person. He didn’t care how awkward it would be. He deserved to feel ashamed. 

Will walked outside and called the name of his dog. It was a big, shaggy grey creature with deep brown eyes. He had named it “Bubba” when he was little- about eight to be exact, and called the dog “Bubs” for the most part. So, he took Bubs out and waited there in the warm Indiana morning air for a while before letting him back in.

Many hours later, night had fallen and the campaign was finally over. Mike and El had been secretly holding hands under the table for the majority of the campaign and Dustin and Lucas pretended not to notice, as usual. They’d tease him later, but they didn’t want to do it while El was around because of how annoying it was whenever it happened to them with their crushes.

That was one thing they sympathized with. While El was gone, Dustin had a crush on a girl and the others had made fun of him nonstop. Eventually, she found out, because Lucas said too much while she was sitting next to him in History Class. He didn’t speak to Lucas for an entire week, but eventually, moved on.

So, Mike and El sat there for a while and eventually Karen came downstairs saying that they needed to take El back to the Byers’. She said Jonathan had left a few hours before and he couldn’t pick her up, and Joyce was at work. Will was obviously too young to drive. Mike offered to bike there with her, and the other boys said they would as well to make sure she stayed safe.

As they were leaving, Mike asked his mother if they could all sleep over at the Byers’. Of course, he asked her in private. After a few minutes of persuasion and Dustin yelling “MIIIIIIKE, GET OUT HERE!”, Karen agreed. She said that he had to be back before noon the next day though. He had no problem with that.

So, they all headed to the Byers’, happily. Karen contacted Joyce as well as the Sinclairs and Hendersons. Lucas’ mom said he had to come home at ten and Dustin’s mom said he could sleep over. So, Lucas headed back home, as it was nine thirty, and Dustin went with Mike and El.

The three finally got to the Byers’ house and El unlocked the door with the key Joyce had given her. They all walked inside and Dustin went off to go find Will and convince him to apologize. El stepped into her room and sat down on her mattress, Mike sitting beside her.

When they heard Will and Dustin getting into conversation, they realized it would be a while before either of them came back outside. So, something happened that neither of them thought would, especially with the inconvenience of the moment.

El kissed Mike. 

It wasn’t just a peck on the lips like before. She held herself there and turned sideways, wrapping her arm loosely around his neck and using her hand to cup his cheek. He held her waist and caressed her back gently, stroking her soft skin, as their lips pressed against eachother. El eventually let Mike’s tongue enter her mouth and she got used to the strange feeling of their tongues pressing together along with their lips.

It was perfect. Of course, they weren’t going to do anything more than kiss, but Dustin opened the door, Will following after him. El pulled away first, followed by Mike. Both were flustered and blushing like crazy. El didn’t recognize the feeling- she'd felt it once or twice before, but she still found it weird. 

“Ewww, get a room!” He said, turning right back around and closing the door, leaving Mike, Will, and El alone in the same room. Mike stood up, holding El’s hand gently. She stood up with him. “We’ll leave if you want.” He huffed, refusing to make eye contact. Will shook his head. “I… no… I wanted to apologize. Eleven, I’m really sorry.” He said quietly. “I shouldn’t have done that, it was just… I don’t know. I made you a drawing though. I know it will never make up for how I treated you but I thought it would make you feel a little bit better. Besides, I owe you my life.” He rambled. He’d been practicing a long, well-written apology all day, but threw it out the window. He was going off the top of his head.

“El.” She replied. “You can call me El. And… it’s okay.” El said quietly. Will approached her gently and pulled her into a hug. El didn’t think it was as good as Mike’s, but she didn’t think anything could even be compared to the quality of anything Mike had to offer. It felt much different though. It felt… platonic. El liked it.

The rest of the night was spent with El and Mike holding hands, Dustin and Will watching a movie with them. The group loved watching movies, and they were now watching Star Trek. El decided that she loved it, but then again, she loved almost anything that they showed her. Mike felt a sense of pride knowing that she liked the show. He was happy. She was happy. Will was happy. Dustin was happy. Everyone was happy.

It was the perfect night.


	13. Truth or Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: pink skies by LANY

The movie had ended and everyone was getting ready to go to bed. Will and El were in a discussion of their favorite plot twist and Mike was happy to see them getting along well. Dustin was brushing his teeth in the bathroom and everyone else was in line. Mike let El go before him, just because he wanted to be gentlemanly. 

When El came out of the bathroom and Mike walked in, he looked in the mirror and brushed his teeth before coming back out. He didn’t think El was in her room so he walked in to put his blanket down before looking up. She was half dressed, wearing a pair of underwear and a bra, changing clothes. She squealed in surprise and covered herself by jumping into her bed. Mike immediately walked straight out and closed the door, blushing furiously.

He wouldn’t admit it, because it would be creepy, but he thought she was beautiful. She had a toned body and long legs, with light curves beginning to come in with puberty. He tried his best to ignore the thoughts flooding into his mind about certain… opportunities…

Will snapped him out of his stance when El came back in. She was wearing an old t-shirt and sweatpants and was waiting for Mike to wake from his daze. So, it was Dustin who spoke up. “Let’s play truth or dare!” He challenged. El tilted her head, confused. “Truth or dare?” She asked curiously. Dustin grinned. “You can dare people to do something or they have to tell you the truth about something.” He explained. El nodded softly. “Okay.”

Mike didn’t really want to play, but he figured El would have to learn about it someday, and how to avoid spilling the truth on sensitive subjects. He remembered when they all ran into Mr. Clarke on the way to the A.V. room in November and had to make up some story that El was from Sweden and she hated it there. 

So, they all sat in El’s bedroom since there was more room on the floor, in a circle. Dustin was first. “Will, truth or dare?” He asked, grinning his signature, toothless grin. It wasn’t like El remembered though- his front teeth had begun to come in, but they were small. They were there, though, and El was glad. Troy couldn’t call him names anymore. At least, in El’s logic.

Will thought for a moment before answering. “Dare.” He said. It wasn’t like Will to do dares, but for some reason, he had decided to. If you asked him, he’d say because he felt like it, but he really just wanted to impress El. Not in a romantic way, but to convince her he’d be a good friend and a better brother.

Dustin spoke rather quietly as if saying something sacred that was only meant for the four of them to hear. “I dare you… to wake Jonathan up by screaming the lyrics to Hello.” He was speaking of the Lionel Richie song that had come out recently that year and had gotten quite popular. Will huffed and sighed. “He’ll be mad though.”

“A dare is a dare.” Dustin said with a shrug and Will got up, sighing extra dramatically. Dustin snickered to himself and Mike and El sat on the edge of their seats, waiting to hear…

“HELLO, IS IT ME YOU’RE LOOKING FOR, ‘CAUSE I WONDER WHERE YOU ARE, AND I WONDER WHAT YOU- AHHHH!” Will screamed as Jonathan threw a pillow at him from inside his bed. Will ran back and everyone laughed to see Will’s hair, messy and ruffled, from the pillow. 

“Okay, who’s next?” Dustin asked. Will smirked then, using his hands to run them through his hair and put it back into place. “Mike, truth or dare?” He asked. Mike groaned. He didn’t want to end up saying something stupid… or doing something stupid either. He figured Will wouldn’t ask him to do something too bad, so he chose. “Dare.” He replied. Dustin was looking at Will curiously.

“I dare you and El to do seven minutes in heaven.” Will sniggered. Mike’s mouth opened in protest. “But… you can’t do that!” He said, flailing his arms around. “I can and I did. Now go!” He chuckled. El tilted her head. “What’s ‘seven minutes in heaven’, Mike?” She asked innocently.

“You uh… go into a closet and kiss and stuff.” He said, itching the back of his neck awkwardly. It was a bad habit for him and eventually El had begun to pick it up. She recognized the sign and nodded softly. “Um… okay.” She said quietly.

So, the two stood up and walked into the hall closet which had been empty for years. No one did anything in there since Will had seen a rat that had gotten inside years ago and it was never caught. Of course, there was no rat. Just El and Mike. Mike and El. 

The door was closed and the lights were out. El was trying to concentrate on Mike but she saw so many memories. She ignored them, focusing on the boy looking down into her eyes as they stood there. Finally, he made his move. Mike cupped her cheek with one hand and closed his eyes. He held her hip with the other. He felt like the curve where her hips moved out was made exactly for his hand. It fit there like a puzzle piece. 

She finally closed her eyes after a few seconds and he felt her smile through the kiss before letting it dissolve and placing her hands gently on his chest, holding the soft fabric of his t-shirt. They were only thirteen but she felt like she’d known him for years, even if it had only been one. 

It felt like it had only been one when Will and Dustin excitedly opened the door, holding a timer up that said ‘7:00’

El and Mike stopped kissing, flustered, but didn’t take their arms off of eachother until Dustin had to mention it, of course. “Ewww, get a room!” He said, laughing. “We did, in here.” Mike challenged, smiling softly as he looked over at El and challenged Dustin. The two left the closet holding hands and smiling. 

At first, they refused to make eye contact but eventually they couldn’t take their eyes off of eachother. Will noticed it before Dustin but didn’t mention it to the couple. They looked happy. Plus, he didn’t want to piss either of them off, given his current reputation, which was borderline. El was a forgiving person, but Mike was very protective over her. 

“Mike, your turn.” Dustin said, snapping him out of his daze. The black-haired boy turned to the girl sitting next to him and smiled. “El, truth or dare.” He asked. She thought for a minute before responding. “Truth.”

He was going to ask her a stupid question such as what her favorite color was, but his brain was foggy from her kiss. He couldn’t think straight, so he dropped the bomb that had been weighing on his shoulders for a while. “Do you want to… uh… be my girlfriend?” He asked, forgetting where they were and who they were with.

El tilted her head. “Girlfriend?” She asked, confused clearly. Dustin and Will were chuckling in the background. “Yeah, Mike, what’s a girlfriend?” Dustin teased. Mike realized what he’d said and blushed crimson, looking down. “Um… a girlfriend is like… more than a friend but not a sister. You hold hands and stuff.” He said awkwardly.

El thought to herself. “But we already do that. So… I am girlfriend?” She asked. He didn’t even correct her, he was shaking in the moment. “If… if you want to b-be.” He stuttered, refusing to make eye contact. She was smiling. “Okay.” She said, reaching over and taking his hand.

And that was that. Mike Wheeler had just asked Eleven to be his girlfriend. They had a lot to discuss. 

After a few minutes of silence, Will cleared his throat. “El’s turn!” He said quickly. El didn’t see why everyone was so awkward. She felt just fine. Quite giddy actually. Mike had asked her to be his girlfriend, which was clearly important to him, so it was important to her as well. 

El thought about who she’d pick. “Dustin, truth or dare?” She asked. Dustin grinned widely. “Dare, duh. I’m not sissying out. Hit me with your best shot, El!” He challenged. So, El sat there, confused. She had no idea what to ask him. Mike whispered something in her ear and she smiled. He smiled back.

“I dare you to ask out,” El began before turning to Mike. He whispered a name into her ear again. He was grinning devilishly and Will was on the edge of his seat to hear the name El would speak. “Larissa W… Washington.”

Dustin looked like he’d just eaten the world’s spiciest pepper. He was sweating a little bit and his whole face looked like a cherry tomato. He looked at Mike helplessly. “You spit-swore!” He whined. Mike just grinned and shrugged. Will was laughing his ass off.

“LARISSA?!” He was screaming, slapping his leg. Will wiped a few tears from his eyes as he laughed. “Dude, do it, she’s had a crush on you since like… third grade!” Will said, still laughing. Even El was giggling at this point. Not as much as Will but she was still laughing.

Dustin’s mouth hung open. “What?! Third grade? Why didn’t you tell me?!” He gaped. Mike shrugged. “We thought you knew, dude.” He replied quaintly, holding El’s hand. Dustin had covered his face and was rolling back onto the floor, whining. “Oh my GODDDDDDD.” He said, his voice cracking. 

“Lucas better not find out about this. He’ll tell everyone!” Dustin complained, looking hopeless. Mike and Will shared a glance before looking back at Dustin. “No way man, just because he wasn’t here doesn’t mean he won’t get to know.” Will said with a laugh. Dustin rolled his eyes. “You sons of bitches.”

They all laughed at that point. 

This time, it was El’s turn to start. They were going for one more round before they retired to go to sleep. It was about one am at that point. “Will, truth or dare?” She asked politely. Will thought for a moment. “Truth.” He said. He didn’t know what El’s dares would be like but after hearing her dare to Dustin, he didn’t want to know. “Okay… why is the dog named Bubba?” El asked. Will chuckled. “I have no idea, honestly. It sounded like a cool name when I was like eight, so that’s what I named him.” He answered honestly. El giggled a bit before leaning back to sit next to Mike. The two were millimeters apart from having their shoulders brush. They were still holding hands, much to everyone’s enjoyment. 

Now it was Will’s turn since he had been chosen. He turned to Dustin excitedly. “Dustin, truth or dare?” He stated. Dustin grinned. “Dare. It can’t get much worse than having me ask Larissa Washington out, right?” He thought with a hopeless shrug and a dopey smile. 

“I dare you to do a flip.” Will challenged. Dustin’s arms flew up. “What?! I can barely do a cartwheel!” He protested. “Do it!” Will replied. Dustin stood up and started to move before Will interrupted. “Outside.” He said. The whole group got up and walked out into the cold. 

Dustin was mentally preparing himself, while everyone else was watching. Except for Mike. He saw that El had her arms around herself, shivering lightly in the cold. It was August only, but the cold autumn winds were starting to come in, especially at nighttime, in the northern state. He hesitantly reached over before gaining the courage to wrap his arm around her. So, he flung it around her shoulder and pulled her closer. She obliged happily and rested her head on his shoulder after a moment.

Dustin finally attempted his flip. His body moved awkwardly before he landed flat on his back. He let out a loud groan of pain and Will began to laugh. Mike was too caught up in the moment. He was holding El close and he didn’t even care if his friends saw at that point. So, they stood there before everyone went back inside. 

Dustin looked over at El. “Truth or dare, El?” She pondered before choosing dare. “Dare.” She spoke bravely, grinning a little bit. Mike thought her grin was adorable- fiery and spiteful. She looked sure that she’d be able to do whatever he asked her.

“I dare you to go on a date with Mike.” He said, moving his head at the end to glance at the boy beside her who was now blushing, yet again. “What?! Dustin you can’t make her do that. Why don’t you give her a DECENT dare that doesn’t involve us making out or something?” He protested. Dustin shook her head. “No backing out. Rules are rules.” He said. “Plus, I just did a flip for this.” He said, rubbing his sore back. It was definitely bruised.

El tilted her head. “But… how? Mike, what’s a date?” She asked, and Mike found himself yet again explaining something he probably shouldn’t be. “Well… a date is when you go out with your girlfriend or boyfriend and hang out together. Just the two of you. And you do… romantic stuff.” He muttered. El nodded, taking in his every word. “Oh, okay.” She said softly, looking over at Dustin. “I will. But… when?” She asked.

“Not now, it’s too late. Nothing’s open. You two can go to the diner or something and get some food. Or go to a park. Stuff like that.” Dustin explained. El nodded yet again. She was listening intently and was satisfied with what she had learned that day. 

Everybody decided that it was time to go to sleep. It was rather late and they were pretty tired, plus they wanted to wake up somewhat early so Mike and Dustin could hang out before they went home. Everyone clambered into El’s room and lay down. Mike was sleeping right next to her bed. Will slept near the door and Dustin across from Mike. It was a tiny bit cramped- El’s room was a converted guest room that was rather small, but nobody minded. Especially Mike- they were very close. 

They fell asleep. Before Mike did, he studied El for a moment and she woke up after feeling his gaze burning into her. She saw him and smiled, reaching out and touching his cheek. He moved over, closer to her, and she beckoned him onto her mattress. He was surprised but happy to do so and moved over, lifting himself up. She pulled the blanket over him and the two laid there before he finally wrapped his arms around her. She put hers on his chest- like she had in the closet. 

They fell asleep just like that, and moved around during the night. When Dustin woke up first, he grinned widely. two of his best friends were spooning right in front of him. He tapped Will rapidly, even shaking him a bit before the other boy woke up. Will began to groan but Dustin shushed him before pointing to Mike and El. 

Mike had wrapped his body around El, who was curled up into a little ball as usual. He was holding his arms around her waist and she had hers resting on the bed, sprawled out. The two boys who were awake grinned to themselves and walked out to go make breakfast.

Joyce had gotten back late, but she knew the other boys were sleeping over. So, when she saw her youngest son and Dustin walk into the kitchen, she got up to begin to make breakfast. Will stopped her, knowing she had to leave for work again soon. “It’s Sunday, Will, I don’t start until later.” She began. He shook his head. “I can make breakfast mom. Plus, you know what traffic is like right now. Everyone’s trying to get to church.” He said with a shrug. She sighed before kissing the top of his head. She turned and walked into Jonathan’s room, seeing he was asleep. She shrugged and walked into El’s room. Dustin and Will had speedwalked after her, trying to warn her, but she didn’t really hear them until it was too late. 

Will thought they were screwed. However, Joyce wasn’t mad. In fact, quite the opposite. She squealed a little bit and ran into Jonathan’s room to get his camera. She took a few pictures before putting the camera back and closing the door lightly behind her not to wake any of the sleeping teenagers up. “Don’t tell your brother I used his camera.” She said quietly, smiling. “Don’t tell Mrs. Wheeler that they slept together.” Will countered, smiling as well. Dustin was too. “Deal.” Joyce said, shaking hands with the two boys. 

She left for work, and as she was closing the door, she heard Dustin. “Your mom’s pretty cool, Will.” He said, smirking. Will looked over at him. “Yeah.” He said, nodding in agreement. She felt her heart swell. Her son, and his friends, thought she was a cool mom. She knew she could raise El right. She’d never had a daughter, but she’d been one. She figured she’d leave a good impression on Eleven as well. Speaking of- she had lied. She wasn’t going to work. She barely ever worked on Sundays. Sunday was her day to go out with Hopper, but today the two were doing something… different.

Adoption papers and legal name changing. It was going to be a long, boring day full of lines and monotone government voices, but she knew it would be great when she got back to the house with El’s adoption certificate. She couldn’t wait to tell the girl about her new name as well.

She and Hopper had figured out what they wanted to call her after they heard the boys talking about a girl from school and El said the word “pretty’ after hearing one of the names. Joyce was ecstatic. She knew El would love it.

Eventually, El and Mike woke up. Mike woke up first because his foot had pins and needles and he was a sensitive person. He saw El with him and smiled, blushing to himself. He reached his head forward and kissed her head, a little bit more hard than he wanted to, which woke her up. After a second she turned to see him and the two shared a quick, passionate kiss. They both got up and walked into the kitchen a moment later, holding hands.

Will had made breakfast- orange juice, strawberries, and eggos for everyone. They sat around the kitchen table, eating together, and enjoyed their meal thoroughly. 

Mike and Dustin had to go home after breakfast so that they’d both be home before noon. On the way back to his house, Mike kept getting distracted and Dustin had to remind him where he was going. Dustin figured it was his “good” rest from the night prior.


	14. El? Elle.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: ILYSB by LANY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oH. MY. GOD.  
> Guys... we have almost 1,000 hits... holy freaking shit.  
> i love you all!! xoxo

It had been five days since the sleepover and it was currently Friday. Mike was biking to school alongside Dustin, Lucas, and Will. They had a lot to discuss, all involving El. Mike wanted to know if Will knew anything about when she’d be coming to school with them. Dustin and Lucas wanted to know if she talked about Mike a lot. Of course, Mike secretly wanted to know the same thing, but he didn’t say anything.

Joyce, on the other hand, was having issues. Hopper was as well. Not with their relationship, but with El. They were getting adoption papers and legal name changing figured out. They’d already done El’s name, but there was an issue with adoption: they had to contact El’s biological parents. 

So, since the boys had left for school already, Joyce was sitting in the cat with Hopper on the way to the city to go to Terry Ives’ home. But when they got there, they were rather surprised when a scraggly haired man opened the door. He looked to be in his 20s and he was quite a mess. 

Joyce shifted her weight to her left foot and Hopper cleared his throat. “Does Terry Ives live here?” He asked, seemingly uncomfortable. The man, who had quite a large beer belly and looked like he had been chain-smoking for the past three hours, with a freshly lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

“She’s inside.” He said without a care. He moved over and motioned for Joyce and Hopper to enter. They walked through the house, which looked like a hurricane had gone through it. It wasn’t like Hopper had remembered at all. He passed the room where Eleven was supposed to have slept to see it completely trashed. There were cigarette butts everywhere and it was seemingly used as a literal trash can. They walked into the living room to see two women sitting around a television.

“Terry?” Joyce asked. One woman turned her head and looked at Joyce before looking back at the television, not caring at all. The other lady stood up and sighed. “Good luck getting her to talk.” She said before leaving. The woman took the other man and the two left quickly. It was just Terry Ives, Jim Hopper, and Joyce Byers.

Jim spoke first. “So, Terry, do you remember us? We asked about your daughter last November.” He said. Terry looked over at Jim like he was stupid. “Yeah, of course. You came in and ruined my afternoon. If you have any information about her, keep it. I don’t care anymore.” Terry said. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up, filling the air with the scent of tobacco. She pulled two more out and offered them to Joyce and Hopper, but both shook their heads. Normally, Hopper would’ve accepted the offer, but it was a bit inappropriate given the current situation.

“Oh… well we need you to, uh… sign this document stating that we had been here.” Joyce lied quickly, shoving a legal document into Terry’s hands. She was glad the other woman was too lazy to read over the information, otherwise, she would’ve realized her daughter was alive and well. So, she signed the papers and handed them over. “Is that all? I don’t want to miss the peak of my show.” She said lazily. Joyce and Hopper left quickly and satisfied. 

In the car, Joyce could barely keep her excitement to herself. She was bouncing off of her seat every few minutes, clutching the papers to her chest. Like a child. Jim looked over at her. “I know you’re happy and all, but we just lied to that woman, you know.” He said, driving. Joyce shrugged. “She said she didn’t care, plus, she happily signed away.” She replied quaintly. “Fair enough.” Hopper said.

The two drove for another two hours before finally getting back to the house. It was around ten am. They couldn’t wait for everyone to get home. Joyce had called the Wheelers, Sinclairs, and Hendersons over that night, and her kids would obviously all be there. Even Hopper was invited to come, and he gladly accepted the invitation. 

So, when Joyce got home and started immediately baking something, Eleven was a bit suspicious. She walked into the kitchen and tilted her head at Joyce, who was humming happily. “C… cooking?” El asked, using a word she didn’t know very well and had just been taught by Karen, the other day, when the two made sugar cookies. Joyce nodded. “We’re having everyone over for a little party tonight!” She explained. El yet again tilted her head. “Pa… par-ty?” She sounded out. Joyce internally slapped herself. Of course the girl had never been to a party. She didn’t even know what one was. “When you get together with a bunch of people and celebrate something. It’s not a frequent thing, but it’s a big celebration.” She said. El nodded. She, surprisingly, didn’t ask what the celebration was about, which was good for Joyce. She wanted to keep it a surprise. 

Joyce looked back at the cookie dough she was starting to create, which was currently a mess that consisted of butter and brown sugar, rolling around in the mixer. "Wanna help me?" Joyce asked. El nodded eagerly and moved over to help. The next hour was full of laughs and lots of spilled flour. Joyce had to mop it all up afterwards, but it was worth it to see the look of surprise on El's face when the cookies came out of the oven. Next, Joyce made homemade pizza and El helped her with that. It was like a feast, but Joyce knew they really needed a lot of food due to the fact that there would be three other families there, not just three other boys. The new mother-daughter duo cooked for another four hours, filled with fun, food, and lots of bonding. The door opened and both Will and Jonathan stepped in to see Joyce and El covered in flour and cocoa. Both brothers laughed before Joyce ran over and took Will into a bear hug, doing the same to Jonathan. Now everyone was covered in cooking material and Joyce couldn't have asked for a better day. 

All the food was finished around 4:00 with the help of Will and Jonathan. It had been 3 when they had returned from school, and they helped finish everything up. Everyone went to take turns showering by using every single shower in the house before getting cleaned up. El showered last and Joyce went into El's bedroom, placing a bag on her mattress-bed thing and leaving quickly before El knew she had entered. Will was wearing a casual outfit, as was Jonathan, but Joyce was wearing a dress and tights. She had bought El a new outfit while she was out that day and was sure that the girl would love it and hopefully wear it to the party. 

When the girl got out, she dried herself off and put on a bra and panties, which Nancy had bought for her, and opened the bag on her bed. Inside was a pretty white and pink lace dress. It scooped down and the sleeves were short, but the dress was shoulderless and had lace on the sides of her shoulders traveling across each side. It was not too short, and ended right above her knees. She put it on excitedly and looked in the mirror, happy with what she saw.

El stepped out of her room to see everyone waiting in the living room. Will's mouth hung open and Jonathan smiled widely. Joyce was beaming with pride. She got up to hug her new daughter and El, surprised at first, hugged her back. Jonathan and Will joined in on the hug eventually, feeling like they were missing out on something. The family sat there for a good three minutes before the door bell rang and El offered to answer. It was the Wheelers. She opened the door and Karen smiled softly, looking at the petite girl in front of her. "Hello, El!" She greeted. El smiled back. "Hi, Mrs. Wheeler." And Karen walked inside, Holly on her hip, beginning to talk to Joyce.

Nancy gasped and smiled, looking at El's dress. "Oh my god, El! That looks so good!" She exclaimed, touching the fabric lightly with her hand. El beamed back at her before the oldest Wheeler sibling walked inside to go talk to Jonathan, of course. Then Mike stepped up. His mouth was hanging open, just like Will's had, and he was blushing furiously. 

"Pretty?" El asked, nervous that he wouldn't like the new dress. Mike smiled and closed his mouth before looking into her eyes. "Beautiful. Stunning. Amazing. Gorgeous. Breathtaking." He replied. El didn't know what half of those words meant, but she assumed they were better than pretty, and her heart swooned. Mike walked inside and talked to Will, and El went to join them soon. 

Everyone was in conversation at that point- El, Will, and Mike were talking about D&D. Jonathan and Nancy were in the corner, discussing... private matters. Joyce and Karen were gossiping about neighborhood issues and a pothole down the street that still hadn't been fixed, much to everyone's disliking. Especially Jonathan, as he always ended up driving over it on his way to school and back every day.

The door bell rang again and this time, it was the Sinclairs. Lucas joined in on the conversation about D&D with the other kids to nobody's surprise, and Lucas' mother walked over to speak with Joyce and Karen. Lucas' father was at work and couldn't attend the little gathering, but it wasn't like anybody knew about the surprise. 

Hopper came after that, followed by the Hendersons. Dustin and Lucas were only children, meanwhile Mike and El/Will both had two other siblings. It was strange how that worked out. 3 Byers, 3 Wheelers, 1 Henderson, 1 Sinclair. At least, that's what Will thought every time he recalled how many siblings everyone had. Lucas and Dustin had cousins though, so did Mike, but Joyce had been an only child, so no cousins for El, Will, and Jonathan.

Finally it was time for the food to come out. Joyce took everyone into the kitchen and they all grabbed something onto a plate. Dustin got a slice of pizza and took as many cookies as could fit on his plate, of course. Mike got a slice of pizza and just one cookie. El got a slide of pizza, a cookie, and a cup of juice. Lucas just got a slice of pizza. It was well-known that Lucas didn't have a sweet tooth, unlike Dustin. The boy seemed to hate sweets, whether it was ice cream, cookies, or even candy, whether it was sweet or sour. He just didn't like it. It was strange for El to think somebody couldn't like sweets, as she loved them the second she tasted them. But then again, El loved most things she had to eat. Except for broccoli. She found that out at family dinner with the Byers on the previous Wednesday, and she couldn't stand the bitter, green food. She loved lettuce and chicken though, as well as basically every other vegetable, including asparagus, which both Will and Jonathan hated. 

El, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Mike all sat in El's room like they had the night they slept over the past week, except for Lucas of course. He had found out about everything though, and teased Dustin mercilessly for the whole week at school, until the poor boy eventually gave up and asked Larissa Washington out. Surprisingly enough, she said yes, and the two had a date on Thursday, which Dustin couldn't stop talking about. 

"She was so pretty. I was like 'shit, what do I do'? And then I brought up X-Men by accident and thought I'd look like a total loser but turns out, she reads the comics too!" Dustin had said, and everyone had agreed that it was pretty cool for his crush to like the same things as him, especially at that age. Not many girls would admit to reading comic books or even doing anything other than the "norm".

After that conversation ended, Will began to ramble about how much he disliked Life Science, which was what they were taking in the 7th grade, which was what they were in. 

Meanwhile, in the living room, the ladies were eating. Joyce, Karen, Lucas' mother Natasha, and Dustin's mother Erica were still discussing that annoying pothole on the end of the street. It had been there for about a week, and it was starting to grow. Karen said she'd driven right over it and it scared Holly pretty badly. Speaking of, the toddler was roaming around the living room, weaving in between the mothers' legs. 

And finally, Jonathan and Nancy weren't even talking. Just kissing. Jonathan was working his hands in between Nancy's legs and was keeping her mouth busy to keep her from moaning out loud so she wouldn't bring any attention to them. She came quickly and began to work her way over to him but he shook his head. "We don't have time." He muttered. "Plus, I don't mind treating you." he said, cupping her cheek. Nancy blushed and kissed him softly, murmuring a quiet 'I love you' into his ear. He had blushed a bit too, but said it back after a few seconds.

Joyce got up and brought everyone into the living room after they had all finished eating. She got out wine glasses and champagne for the ladies, and regular cups full of apple juice for the kids, including Holly. This was meant for a toast, but the youngest Wheeler had already drank hers before Joyce was halfway through.

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming tonight. As you know, we are taking Eleven in and adopting her. It's been a rocky road for everyone, but we know she'll be happy and safe here." Joyce began. Everyone's heads turned to look at Eleven who was wide-eyed. The girl had no idea what was going on. "I really do owe it to you, honey. You saved Will and risked your own life. You even came back to us, and I hope you'll love living here. Speaking of," Joyce said, turning around and grabbing something from her purse in the kitchen. "Welcome to the family, Elizabeth Jane Byers!" She said. 

They had decided on the name Elizabeth for her first name and Jane for the middle. Of course, Elizabeth would only be used for formal things and such, because it would be quite odd seeing 'Eleven' written down. Joyce explained that they could always call her El and Eleven, but to use Elizabeth or Eliza instead of 'Eleven' in public when needing to catch her attention. Joyce showed everyone the adoption certificate in her hand, which showed El's full name. Of course, everyone was now coming up with dozens of nicknames to call the girl, including Elle, the classic El, Ellie, Liz, Liza, Eliza, Beth, and Lizzy. There was a lot going on. When asked about how she wanted to spell her nickname, El said, 'E-l-l-e." And it was decided.

Elle had tears in her eyes and was covering her mouth. When she uncovered it, to everyone's relief, she was smiling. She ran over to Joyce and brought her mother into a hug quickly, and Joyce hugged her back with equal passion. Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, Jonathan, and even Nancy joined in on the hug before literally everyone in the room was hugging Elle. She felt so loved in the moment and never wanted it to end. She was now an official Byers, and it felt incredible. 

She looked over at Mike who was equally as crushed into the hug. Their faces were centimeters apart. "Pretty?" She asked. "Really pretty." He replied, and the two locked gazes, smiling at eachother.


	15. Take me to Church

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: We Don't Believe What's on TV by tøp

Elizabeth Jane Byers was sitting in her room surrounded by her best friends. It had been about a month since the toast, when she received her name and official title as a member of the Byers family. She couldn't have been happier. The boys couldn't have either. Mike was just excited that he would get to see her all the time, and he had realized if she had joined his family, it would be really weird being her sister considering his feelings for her. Will was excited because he had a super badass sister who always had his back. Lucas and Dustin were excited because Elle was one of their best friends and she'd start coming to school with them eventually, which meant no more teasing from Troy.

Elle had done a lot in the past three weeks. She had studied and now knew how to form better sentences. She knew the alphabet and basic grammar, and had a 6th grade reading level, which was impressive given the time she had to learn. Turns out, Elle absolutely loved reading, and was almost always spending her free time with a book. She had already gone through Lois Lowery's "Number the Stars" and was currently reading "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls. She had loved "Number the Stars", and it was one of Lucas' favorite books as well. She'd also picked up addition, subtraction, and multiplication, as well as basic division. Long division was an issue, but she was working with Joyce and Karen, and was slowly getting better at it. She would be joining the boys in 9th grade at Hawkins High School. Mike had protested at first, but realized it was better.

She'd get caught up with everything she needed to learn in middle school during those years, that ways she'd be perfectly fine with high school, and it'd be a much easier transition. So, for now, she would spend her days being homeschooled and hanging out with the boys after school. Mike was waiting for October to take Elle out Trick-or-Treating with the gang. Of course, they were a little bit old to Trick-or-Treat, but they didn't care. Dustin loved it- a way to get free food and it also gave him an opportunity to show up on Larissa Washington's porch in the middle of the night without looking like a total creep. They had their costumes all figured out- the boys would go as the ghostbusters for school, and afterwards, Elle would join them as Janine, the secretary. She had agreed with the idea completely and loved the thought of it. By then, they'd gotten tired of re-watching Star Wars over and over again, so Ghostbusters was their new favorite as soon as it came out. The gang didn't think they'd ever get tired of watching Ghostbusters.

Speaking of clothing, Elle was growing quickly, and it was no surprise that Joyce had to take her shopping again. This time, they got Elle a lot of clothes so that they'd be able to fit her. She was gaining weight, which was a good thing, and was starting to look less starved and boyish. They went to a local mall with Nancy as well while the boys were at school- Nancy had fall exams, so her day ended early. Elle got a whole new wardrobe, and her favorite thing was a light pink dress that Nancy picked out for her- it reminded her exactly like the one she had worn in the previous November.

Elle's room was also less of a mess at that point. The boys put together a decent desk, dresser, and bed for her. Although they said that they could do it, Elle insisted on helping, and no one could argue with that. She was proving to be almost as stubborn as Lucas sometimes, and Mike thought it was adorable. Elle even painted the room herself- a light shade of off-white with a pinkish tint. She hung Christmas lights across the walls, she was afraid of the dark, and they helped. She also had a bookshelf which was slowly but surely filling up as she loved to read. She began to go to the library a lot, and Mike noticed this, so he'd secretly go there every time she went, and claimed to be "studying". 

But now the group was just relaxing. They were discussing when Mike's next campaign would be ready, and apparently it would be the next day. Everyone was excited, especially Elle, who had just gotten into the flow of things with D&D. She was still watching them instead of actually playing, but she liked overseeing everything. It made her feel like a part of the game even though she wasn't playing. The boys would ask her for strategic help and she'd answer, but she never cheated. Instead she sat there, on the edge of her seat with every plot twist and jumpscare. She sat beside Mike every time, and sometimes they held hands. Sometimes they didn't, because both of them got so into the game that they completely forgot about anything else except for it. 

By then it was getting late and Elle was the first one to get tired. It was probably 1 AM, far past Joyce's "bedtime", but no one paid attention to that. Not even Joyce. She was a pretty calm woman and very easy-going for the most part. Except for when Will was gone. But that was over now, and the family was somewhat normal. Somewhat.

So, Elle crawled into her bed and closed her eyes. The boys had moved into another room to keep chatting but Will had decided to go to bed as well. They were all going to sleep in Elle's room when they were tired, and it would be a one-by-one kind of thing, which was made clear when everyone else went to keep talking. So, Will sat down beside Elle's bed. He looked over at her and she was still awake, but tired looking. "So, Mike, huh?" Will asked.

Elle turned to look at him and tilted her head. "What do you mean?" She asked, not getting the message. Will grinned. "You like him, right? I mean, you wouldn't have said yes to him asking you out, would you? Sorry, that was a stupid question." Will said with an awkward chuckle. Elle smiled back. "It's not stupid. I don't know, Will... Mike makes me feel... different. All of you do, but Mike the most. In my stomach." She explained. Will smiled at her. "That's good. It means you really do like him." he replied. She nodded. "I'm going to sleep. Night, Will." She said to her brother. He watched her turn off the light before putting his head down on his own pillow, snuggled into his sleeping bag. "Night, Elle."

The next morning was quite eventful. After everyone else had clambered into Elle's bedroom, she had been the last to wake up, even though she fell asleep first. Will woke up before everyone else and Mike woke up next. The two were sitting at the kitchen table. Will was drinking a cup of Joyce's coffee- not a strange occurance. He only got away with it because he insisted he needed energy, and she had eventually agreed to it. Mike was just drinking a cup of orange juice.

Will turned to him. "She really likes you, you know." he said. Mike looked over at him with a confused expression. "Elle." Will said with a chuckle. Mike caught on and smiled to himself. He would be defensive with anyone else except for Elle and Will. The two were the most understanding of the group. Dustin had a bad habit of making fun of everything he said or did, and Lucas was just stubborn and could be harsh. They were all his friends, but he opened up most to Will and Elle. At least he felt like he did. "Oh. Well... I really like her too."

Will grinned. "Good. You're my best friend, but if you hurt her, I hurt you." Will said, lightly threatening him, but with a smile. Mike took the joke and laughed a little bit, but he knew that Will low-key meant it. The two siblings seemed to share a special relationship, which he never really had with Nancy or Holly. Of course, Will and Elle were the same age- as he thought. Nobody knew Elle's birthday, so, they chose November 7th and assumed she was their age. So, she'd be celebrating her 13th birthday in November of 1984. 

Eventually Dustin came in, followed by Elle, and Lucas woke up last. Everyone finished their breakfast, which mostly consisted of cereal with and without milk and orange juice. Elle tried her first sip of coffee and hated how bitter it was. Everyone laughed when she tried not to spit it out and eventually ran to the sink instead of swallowing it. She sent Will a playful glare for not warning her and he was laughing the hardest, second only to Mike, who was wiping a tear from his eye. After that, everyone went over to Mike's house, with permission from Joyce and the other boys' mothers, of course. The campaign began, and after about five hours, Elle volunteered to go get snacks for everyone since she wasn't playing along. She was happy to see Nancy sitting in the kitchen.

"Hey, Nancy." She greeted. "Hi, Elle!" Mike's older sister replied. Elle always thought she was pretty, and Nancy was seeming to glow at the current moment. "The guys are hungry, I'm just grabbing some food." Elle explained, picking up a bowl and some chips, as well as some juice boxes. Nancy nodded. "I'll help you with those." She said with a smile. "You're really happy today, huh?" Elle asked. Nancy was just blushing. She pulled Elle up the stairs and into her bedroom where she sat the girl down on her bed. "Okay... I'll tell you a secret but you have to promise not to tell the boys." Nancy began, smiling brightly. Elle tilted her head. "Secret?" She asked. Nancy nodded. "It's something you can't tell anyone else, ever." Nancy explained. Elle nodded, understanding. "I promise." She replied.

Nancy looked back and forth before scooting closer to Elle. "Well, uh... I went on a date with Jonathan Byers last night." Nancy said, blushing. Elle smiled. "Really?" She asked. Nancy nodded. "We went to the movies and saw Purple Rain." She said. "He held my hand too at the end, and I was pretty surprised. You should have seen Tommy H's face when he and Carol saw Jon and I out!" She said. Elle had no idea who Tommy H or Carol were, but she assumed they were people that Jonathan and Nancy didn't like. So, Elle didn't like them either. "Mouthbreathers?" She asked. Nancy looked over at the girl. She nodded. "Yeah, Mouthbreathers." She said with a smile. "Come on, let's get downstairs before the boys run after you."

Nancy and Elle ran downstairs quickly and into the basement, where Elle gave out the snacks and took her place next to Mike, who was smiling over at her. Nancy went back upstairs, and Elle was smiling to herself and to Mike. "What?" He asked. "Did Nancy tell you something?" He asked, looking at her. Dustin grinned. "Elle, what's she up to?" He asked. Elle shook her head, refusing to say anything. "Secret." She said matter-of-factly and grinning to herself. Lucas, Will, and Dustin all "ooh-ed" and Mike chuckled. "Alright, I see how it is." He joked, nudging her. 

So, everyone ate their snacks and the campaign continued. Finally, the night was ending, and everyone went to take a shower and go sleep in the basement. It was Saturday night, and the next day, everyone was going to the Sinclair's church together. None of the guys were very religious, but Lucas' parents were, and everybody agreed to go with them. It would be Elle's first time, and she was a bit nervous, but Lucas and Mike assured her that nothing would be wrong. 

Mike went up to sleep in his room and everybody else was sleeping down in the basement. Except for Elle. She couldn't sleep, something about Mike not being near her in his house was bothering her. She tiptoed up the stairs, passing each room silently before cracking open Mike's door. He was sitting up, looking up nervously, when he noticed her. "Oh, hey Elle. Is everything okay?" He asked. "I... I can't sleep." She said, rubbing her arm, embarrassed. He patted the spot next to him in his bed and she came over, sitting down. He pulled the covers over her and turned off the light, wrapping his arms around her. "Nervous about tomorrow? Seriously, it's nothing to worry about." He assured. Elle gave him a smile, and fell asleep in his arms. 

Nancy woke the two up the next morning. She knocked on the door and came in to see them. She smiled before tapping her brother's arm multiple times until he finally sat up with a groan. "You're lucky it's me and not mom." She said with a shrug. Mike furrowed his brow in confusion before Nancy pointed to something beside Mike and he looked down to see a petite girl curled up beside him, her hands had just fallen off of his chest. Mike blushed and Nancy left, before he woke Elle up. She and Will went back to their house to get ready.

"You two didn't... DO anything, right?" Will asked, gulping, as Elle rode on the back of his bike. "What do you mean?" She asked curiously. "You know, have... sex." He said. "What is sex?" Elle asked with a shrug. He sighed with relief. Chances are, if she didn't know what it was, she didn't do it. "Well, it involves a lot of touching and kissing and it can be pretty risky. You should ask mom or Nancy about it later." He said. "Just don't talk to any of the guys about it, they'll get really weird." Will explained. Elle nodded and they finally arrived back at the Byers' house.

After the two finished getting ready, they waited outside for Jonathan to return from wherever he had been that morning to pick them up and take them to the Sinclairs' church. Will was wearing a dress shirt, tucked into a pair of khakis and dress shoes. Elle wore a navy dress with a pleated skirt-area and a white cardigan as well as black flats. Finally, Jonathan pulled up and they got into his car, driving off.

They arrived early, and waited a while before everyone else came too. The Sinclairs were there with them, and Will, Elle, and Lucas chatted. The Wheelers got there next, and Nancy walked over to talk with Jonathan. She winked at Elle before going into conversation with her boyfriend and Elle just smiled back. Mike didn't notice, he was too busy staring at her with wide eyes. Finally, the Hendersons arrived, barely on time, and everyone walked in. Nancy, Jonathan, and the parents were at one service, and the kids were going to Sunday School. 

They walked into the room and sat down next to a group of kids who looked too rich for their own well-being. They began to talk and the teacher suddenly interrupted them, handing out study bibles. Elle decided she didn't particularly enjoy the lesson of the day- which was about Noah's Arc. She had many questions, but was too scared to ask them after one girl asked why "God' chose Noah instead of anyone else and the teacher hushed her quickly, looking offended. So, Elle sat next to Mike, who was looking equally as uncomfortable, and the lesson finally ended. Lucas dragged them all into the hallway. "Sorry, guys, I have no idea who that lady was. She's not the teacher that's usually here. Anyways, the adults' session won't be over for another hour so we can go to the basement." He said.

The basement was colorful and strange. Apparently on every other day of the week, preschool was taught there, but kids who were staying after Sunday School, waiting for their parents, were allowed to hang out there. It was just Will, Lucas, Dustin, Mike, and Elle that day, though. Everyone else had just disappeared. Lucas apparently had to stay there because his parents would skin him alive if he left, as he said with a shaky voice. Lucas' parents were strict, but Elle had met them a few times and she liked them. They were nice and very down-to-earth people, just like Lucas. Except he was very stubborn and they were not. She wondered where he got it from.

After that, they returned to their houses and Elle got back to work on some math that Joyce was helping her with. She'd ask about "sex" later. For now, long division was getting the best of her, and she refused to let it do so for much longer.


	16. Who YOU Gonna Call?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Seeing Stars by BØRNS

October 31st, 1984. Halloween.

The boys had returned from school and were brushing the dust off of their ghostbusters costumes. The school day had not been a good one. While hanging out in the hallway, Troy, as usual, had approached them. He had avoided them for a while since Will's... thing. But, he was back, and seemingly had his heart set on torturing the boys that year. "Since when was Hawkins, Indiana a swamp?" He asked his friend. James looked at him with the same dumb, confused look he always had and Troy rolled his eyes. "A frog, a toothless redneck, midnight, and a fairy." He explained. James got the joke and laughed. "Yeah, since when!" He said, way after the joke was over. The boys shook it off. But by the end of the day, Troy still wasn't done. Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Mike were walking out of the building to get on their bikes before Troy and James managed to push every one of them down after a few seconds. According to rumors, Will flipped Troy off, but the boys didn't believe it. After all, they'd been there. Plus, Will would never have done something like that.

They were biking over to Dustin's house and Mike and Will were going to pick up Elle before they went to the Hendersons'. Luckily, Elle was already waiting for them outside. She was wearing the perfect costume. Her hair was pinned up and she was wearing the red and black sweater as well as the black skirt. She hopped onto the back of Mike's bike and wrapped her arms around him gently. He marveled at the feeling of her warmth before they took off, laughing as Elle told them a corny joke she'd heard that day.

They arrived at the Hendersons' with Dustin and Lucas waiting for them. They were in Dustin's room, which was larger than she thought it would be. It was clean and organized, the complete opposite of what Elle had expected. She and Mike sat down next to eachother and Dustin sat on his bed. Lucas sat beside Will, who was next to Elle. "Alright guys, I made a map of everywhere we need to go. And the red "x" is there because that's the lady who gives out toothbrushes. Also, if we get separated, meet at my house, okay?" He said quickly, shoving the map into Mike's hands for him to pass it around. Everyone looked over the map and finally Dustin got it back, making sure he had done everything right. 

A knock was heard and Mrs. Henderson opened up the door. "Hey everybody!" She greeted, lightheartedly. Everyone waved and greeted her back before she looked at Dustin. "Your father and I are going out for dinner. We'll be back around 10. Remember, don't go by the Carney's, they're never home. And stay away from strangers!" She managed to mutter, flustered, before kissing the top of her son's head. Mr. Henderson peeked inside, waving goodbye, and the parents left. "Okay, guys, let's head out. We have to go before all of the little kids get there, or there won't be anything left." Dustin said. Everyone agreed easily. Kids in Hawkins could be quite stingy about their candy, and you had to be very early before you'd get swamped by greedy elementary-schoolers. 

So, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike, and Elle set off towards the end of the neighborhood. Their plan was to start at the end and make their way back home so they didn't have to walk all the way down and back. Well... bike. Everyone knew they wouldn't be able to walk the full 1.4 miles with the heavy pillowcases full of candy. So, they began biking, the afternoon sun bearing down on them. Finally, they reached the end of the neighborhood after about fifteen minutes, which wasn't bad timing considering it was 1.4 miles and a group of kids in ghostbuster costumes on bicycles. 

The first few houses were very generous and ended up giving the kids a lot of their candy, as they had plenty more in their houses. After that, it was steady sailing, until they arrived at a certain house. They rang the doorbell and a frayed-haired woman opened the door. She looked frazzled and annoyed. "Go away." She complained, glaring at the kids. Dustin cleared his throat. "Sorry, Ms. Brenner." He said, and the group left. Elle looked unusually doe-eyed and somewhat scared. Mike tapped her shoulder. "Are you okay? We haven't done anything scary yet." He said, concerned. Elle looked over at him. "B... Brenner." She murmured. Dustin was now walking his bike over towards them as they were doing. "Oh yeah, her husband died last year. He worked at Hawkins Power and Light. I think he died the night when... it came." He said awkwardly. Elle suddenly burst into a sprint, running as quickly from the house as she could.

It all clicked in her head. Brenner was the name that got her "papa's" attention. She realized he was dead, but it wasn't processing correctly. She couldn't stay there, not with that woman. Not with whoever else might have been in her house. She heard the faint calls of the boys as they tried to call after her, but she was in the forest by then. She kept running, blood pumping through her body. She couldn't hear them anymore. She couldn't hear anything- just the sound of her heart beating. It was holding her in a tight hug, but not a good one. Not like the embraces she got from Mike or anyone else. This was holding her back. 

She finally lost her footing as she tripped on a tree branch and fell face-forward onto the ground. She grunted and winced, reaching up to feel a trickle of blood on her face. Her cheek had a gash in it and both of her knees were scraped from the uneven rocks and pinestraw that littered the ground. The realization hit her then- she was miserably lost. She remembered that Dustin said to meet at his house, but she had no idea where she was, furthermore, no idea how to even get to his house. She curled up into a little ball, her breathing getting quicker and more stressed. She heard two familiar voices. "Dude, I think it went this way." One said nervously.

Finally, she saw two figures in the distance and got up, backing up nervously. She hid behind a tree before thinking they disappeared, when in reality, they weren't gone. "Probably just a deer." A more dominant voice said. The leader of the two. "Seriously man, it didn't sound like a deer." The other said. 

Elle stepped out. "M... Mike?" She asked, confused. The two faces stared back at her in the evening light. The sun was just beginning to set. It would be a while before it was dark. She thought one was oddly familiar but couldn't pinpoint it. "Um... no?" One said. "Who are you?" The other boy asked, both of them stepping forward. "Dude, she looks like a wreck." The follower said, nudging his friend in the arm. "Leave her alone, James, she's probably lost." The leader replied. "I'm Troy, this is James. Are you new around her?" He asked, reaching out to shake her hand. Elle didn't remember him at all- her thoughts in the Upside Down had been focused on Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin. Not him. She remembered calling someone familiar a mouthbreather, but she couldn't remember who. So she took his hand and he helped her up.

She brushed herself off and looked at the two boys. "Hey, you look kind of familiar." Said James. Elle just shrugged. "What was your name again?" Troy asked. "Elle." She replied calmly. He nodded. "Do you live near here?" He asked. She shook her head before turning as she heard a familiar voice. "ELLE!" It yelled. "Mike?" She asked, walking towards the voice. And then the boys stepped out into view and quickly power-walked over to her with their bikes. Mike took her into a quick hug. "Why'd you go?" He asked nervously. She shrugged. "Brenner." She muttered. Dustin didn't look entertained. "Troy." He growled under his usual, playful voice.

Everyone's heads turned to the two other boys, who were now rolling their eyes, standing there, ready to defend themselves. "Well, well, well." Troy said, huffing. "Eenie," He began, pointing to Dustin. "Meenie," looking at Lucas, "Minie" aimed at Will, "and Mo." to Mike. "Oh, and girl." He added at the end, shrugging Elle off. "What are YOU all doing in this side of the woods?" He asked. 

"Elle's... new around her. She got lost." Dustin defended. Troy huffed. "Really? Or was she just running away from you freaks. I would to if I was her. Or anyone else for that matter." He spat back, crossing his arms. James was grinning beside him. "Let her speak for herself." Mike snapped, standing slightly infront of Elle, shielding her from literally nothing. He and Will were the most protective of her, but if anything happened to her, the others would be just as fast to jump on the problem. 

"Whatever, frogface." James said with a mocking groan. Elle stepped up. "Don't call him that, mouthbreather." She defended. Mike grinned to himself. "Do you even know who she is?" He asked, mocking James and Troy. The two shook their heads. "Well, she just introduced herself." Troy huffed, countering him. "Whatever." Mike replied. "Come on, guys. Let's go." He said, milking his excuses. He knew neither of the guys would do anything stupid, they were obviously trying to impress Elle. So, they left peacefully and Elle held onto Mike's hand the whole time.

They finally finished Trick-or-Treating and returned to Dustin's house. They sat down in his bedroom in a circle, and, as usual, poured all of their candy into the center. They wanted Elle to try everything, and she was slightly overwhelmed by all of the colorful packets surrounding her. So, she tried some of this, some of that, a sprinkle of everything. Mike was pleased to know that they both had a favorite candy- M&Ms, and her second favorite were the gummy bears that Dustin basically forced her into trying. she couldn't deny him his wish, he had looked so excited, so she did it, and she wasn't disappointed at all. After all night of trying candies and trading with the boys, Elle got pretty tired after having a sugar low. She was basically in a food coma, and placed her head on Mike's shoulder before falling asleep while the boys were all distracted, talking about the next week at school, and their big English essay that was due.

She knew what every boy's struggle and strength was. Will was best at English and worst at Science. Mike was the opposite- best at Science and worst at English. It wasn't the language, it was the fact that they had to sit around and write essays all day. Dustin was awful at History and best at Math, while Lucas was worst at Science and best at History. Every one of them was different. Elle, in her limited studies, liked each subject, but favored Math and Science. 

She woke up in someone's arms and didn't realize what was going on until she saw Jonathan's face. He carried her out and noticed she was awake, and put her down gently. "Hey, Elle. You were sound asleep. Mom sent me to come get you and Will, we're going back home." He said. Elle nodded and yawned, leaning against him as she walked to his car. Will let her sit up front with Jonathan and she thanked him. Elle loved sitting in the front seat- getting a view of everything. She loved being near a window period. When Will offered to sit in the back, cramped in between some of Jonathan's crap, Elle was ecstatic.

Jonathan was moving now and Elle looked around as they drove, enjoying all of the sights. The kids running down the streets, spilling candy from their ripped pillow cases and plastic buckets. The lights hanging outside of houses. The decorations. She decided that she loved Halloween. Mike even said he'd take her to a haunted house next year, and she had no idea what it was, but she was excited. It sounded scary, but Elle could deal with it. She wanted to experience everything about holidays. 

The car parked and everyone got out, Elle taking in the cold Indiana air. It was October, of course, so she knew it would be getting colder, but she wasn't expecting a blast of wind to hit her, ruffling her hair as she stepped out. She quickly walked into the house with Will and Jon and went to her room, curling up in her bed. 

What Elle didn't know was that her 13th birthday was coming up, and it would be a memorable one. November 7th was just around the corner, and nobody was about to let Elle miss it. She knew about birthdays and calendars and such, but she'd never had her own, and now she was going to be surprised. Joyce planned it, with a lot of help from Will, Jon, and Mike. The three boys were not about to let Elle's birthday go by without putting in some input. They were ecstatic. Elle was going to have her first birthday with them, and one of them had plans different from the others.

Mike. He knew she'd never forget that day.


	17. Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: OctaHate by Ryn Weaver

Mike woke up groggily, as usual, and slammed his hand down onto his alarm as he did every day for the past few years. Today was different though. He looked at the clock, which read "November 7th, 1984". His eyes widened and his lips curled into a smile as he hopped out of bed, suddenly much more awake then he had been in the previous five minutes. His legs hit the carpeted floor and he nearly lost his balance, both of his limbs numb from having been bent all night. Mike yawned and stretched before pulling on his clothes. He wanted to look his "best", even if he wasn't seeing Elle until after school. He was wearing a familiar striped shirt tucked into khakis and a blue and yellow jacket. 

He walked downstairs to see his entire family already eating breakfast. "Morning!" He greeted happily. Ted grunted in response, Karen gave a smile, and Nancy finished chewing her food before responding. "Morning, Mike. You excited?" She asked. He nodded vigorously before wolfing down his pancakes and strawberries and chugging his glass of milk. He strutted outside to see Lucas waving over at him from his house. So, he grabbed his bike and walked over.

"What?" Mike asked curiously. Lucas smirked. "What'd you get Elle for her birthday? We all got her something, but did you?" He asked. Mike nodded quickly. "Of course!" He defended. "Why would you think I didn't?" He said, flustered. Lucas just kept smirking at him. "You're a goner, Mike." He said, patting his friends back, and biked off quickly. Mike struggled to catch up, yelling after him.

They arrived at school and Troy and James approached the duo. "So, Wheeler's got a girlfriend, huh?" Troy asked with a mocking grin. Mike's eyes could have rolled into the back of his head. Although she was, technically, his girlfriend, he wouldn't tell Troy yet. Nobody else knew except for the guys, and for Elle's privacy, he wanted to keep it that way. In 9th grade, he'd make it extremely clear that they were dating. She was a pretty girl, and he expected her to have her fair share of catcalls in the hallways. Not on his watch though.

"None of your business, Troy." Lucas responded coolly. James stepped up. "Actually, it is his business. We met her in the forest yesterday." He said. Troy rolled his eyes. "James, they know, you buffoon." He said. James just tilted his head. "What's a buffoon?" He asked. Troy just left at that point, with James scrambling after him, demanding an answer to his question. Mike and Lucas were just laughing before Will came up to them. "What was that?" Will asked with a chuckle. "Oh, nothing." Mike replied. 

English went quite uneventfully. Everyone turned in their essays and got a lesson about writing structure and rough drafting. 'Why didn't they teach us this BEFORE we wrote a five paragraph essay?' Mike thought to himself. 'Would've been more convenient.'

So, the first four periods passed quickly and quietly without a problem and the boys sat down for lunch. "Dude, I can't wait until next year. We're allowed to invite a high school freshman to the Snowball if we want!" Dustin was saying. Obviously he wasn't thinking about a certain girl who was looking at him from across the cafeteria. "Hey, Dustin, you might want to look behind you. I think you're forgetting a... detail." Will said chuckling. Dustin turned around, locking gazes with Larissa, who was motioning for him to come over to her table. "Should I go?" He asked after turning around. Lucas nodded. "Do it, dude! You don't know what she might be saying." He grinned, making kissy-noises. Dustin blushed and rolled his eyes before taking his food and walking over to the girls' table, where they sat with a few of their boyfriends.

"Who would think, Dustin Henderson and Larissa Washington?" Will teased. Mike and Lucas chuckled. "He's screwed. She really does like him though. Speaking of, guys, more specifically Mike, what are we gonna do about the Snowball this year?" He asked. "We could all go as friends." Will suggested, but remembered something. "Ah, but not Mike. He'll be too busy sucking face with Elle." He teased again. Mike blushed now and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Will. I think we could all go as friends, as long as Elle and I get to dance together at least once." Mike reasoned. Lucas and Will nodded. "Works for me." Lucas said. Will nodded again. "Now we just need to get dates." He said with a grin, nudging Lucas. As soon as Will said that, the boy had turned to look over at a group of boys with one girl sitting down with them. A redhead named Max. 

"Oh, shit!" Will laughed. "You've got a thing for Max!" He said, and Lucas was refusing to blush at them, looking away quickly so they wouldn't notice. They noticed, of course, but didn't say anything. An angry Lucas wasn't a good thing, and they knew better than to push his buttons.

Max was a nice girl, but she didn't hang out with them. She usually spent her days skateboarding around town with her friends, a group of boys who did the same thing. They never really talked to the gang, as they were nerds and the other group? Well... not nerds. Max's group wasn't very popular either, but they were higher up than the boys and Elle.

Speaking of, the birthday girl had no idea what the day meant except for the fact that she met the boys 365 days prior. That was exciting to her. Joyce was helping her with reading, she'd come across some words she didn't understand, and she was just sitting there. Joyce was trying so hard to keep the secret in, and she knew she could do it. It was very tempting with the little girl sitting beside her. Her daughter.

Joyce was still processing the information- she had a daughter. A little girl to raise. She had no problems with having a son, and another after that, but deep down, she wanted a daughter. To teach her girly secrets to, like how to apply mascara without having clumpy eyelashes and how to talk to boys. Having a daughter was more relatable as Joyce realized, and she couldn't wait to introduce Elle to the world.

Elle had gone back to reading when Joyce announced that she was going to run a quick errand and that Elle could call her if she needed anything. The girl looked up from her book and nodded with a smile. "Okay... mom." She said, still getting used to not calling her 'Joyce' or 'Ms. Byers'. So, 'mom' it was. Joyce's heart swelled in her chest and she smiled softly, taking her keys and exiting the house. She went to go to the store to get some party supplies. The plan was set in motion- Joyce would get party supplies and Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Jonathan, and Nancy would help her set everything up and decorate the house while Will distracted Elle by taking her out to Mirkwood to ask for her help on a "science project", because everyone knew that Elle was already better at Science than Will, who hated it with a passion. 

So, Joyce was off to the store, and Elle sat to herself, reading her book. She liked the part she was at- a princess being saved and a knight coming to rescue her from an evil dragon. She thought it was sickly sweet, but unrealistic. Elle had no idea why they'd even think of such a creature to put in there. She joked to herself. 'If I ever write a book like this, I'd replace the stupid dragon with the demogorgon. At least that was real.' She thought bittersweetly with a little smile.

So, Elle sat to herself, reading her cares away. She hummed a tune she'd heard earlier and continued to read.

Meanwhile, the boys were now in 6th period. Mike was in french, Will and Dustin in math, Lucas in Science. It was their second-to-last class of the day, and after that was homeroom. They weren't sure why homeroom was at the end of the day and not at the beginning, but everyone wondered that, and some teachers didn't even know why either. Mike was tapping his pencil on his paper as the french teacher, Madame McGuiness wrote on the whiteboard instructions for their assessment. He was a good student and understood the language somewhat well for a second-year learner, but he was nervous. The test was about something he didn't really know... he was too busy thinking about Elle during the time the unit had been introduced. He'd get through it though.

Will and Dustin were seated next to eachother whispering about how excited they were for Elle's birthday. However, the teacher nearly caught them, which was risky, because if they got detention, they'd be late to help decorate, and that wouldn't be good at all. So, the two passed notes for the rest of the class, and, luckily, weren't caught. 

Lucas was thinking to himself about Mike. He knew his friend like the back of his hand, and he couldn't help but feel frazzled at the sight of him so... head over heels. Mike hadn't had a crush since fourth grade, three years prior, and Lucas didn't really recognize the same signs that he gave to Elle that he had given to the girl he liked. It hit Lucas then- Mike didn't really like the girl in fourth grade. But he felt something big and grand for Elle, which Lucas understood. Well... a lot. He understood that he'd never felt anything, ever, like how he did when he locked eyes with Max. Whenever he'd say hi to her in the hallway, he felt butterflies. Even if their conversations were painfully awkward and short, he still enjoyed them. He cringed at himself for thinking like that, and just in time as well. The teacher looked up and called on Lucas to answer the question. "Mitochondria." He answered quickly. The teacher was confused as to why he'd gotten the answer so quickly, as he seemed to be staring into space, but shook it off and moved on to the next question.

And finally, the bell rung. Each boy hopped out of his seat and walked towards the homeroom that they all shared. They sat down near eachother and the teacher began the dreaded social lesson of the day before giving up and letting everyone talk to themselves. It was a good thing too, because no one was listening as she drawled on about the importance of social cues.

Just like that, the class was over, and the boys got up and excitedly rushed to the Byers' house. They saw Joyce's car pull up in the driveway behind them and she put a finger to her lips to signal them to be quiet. So, Lucas, Dustin, and Mike hid in the bushes to make sure Elle didn't see them, while Joyce and Will went inside. A few minutes later, Elle hesitantly walked out and got on the back of Will's bike with him. Mike felt a burst of satisfaction to see that Elle didn't hold onto Will the same way she held onto him. Her grip on Will was more friendly in a way. The brother and sister headed off towards Mirkwood to do whatever Will had made up for them to do and Lucas, Mike, and Dustin walked into the Byers' house once they were out of sight range.

Jonathan and Nancy arrived a bit later, not too long though. Apparently they'd had a chemistry test and had to stay a few minutes late to both get theirs in on time, and Joyce understood it completely. There was no chemistry test and their teacher would've been furious if they hadn't finished it on time, but Joyce didn't know that, and ignorance is bliss, especially in this case. Jonathan was looking a bit frazzled and Nancy had an ever-present blush across her rosy cheeks. However, they didn't let it get in the way of decorating the house. Everything was pink and somewhat waffle-related for Elle, and Mike was proud to have come up with the idea that they should print out pictures of eggos and put them on the walls. Everyone else had laughed and agreed quickly, and now, the walls were covered in pictures of eggos. Elle would love it, Mike was sure of that.

Meanwhile, the two other Byers siblings were out in the woods. Will and Elle were walking along when he pointed something out. "Hey, look! Elle, what kind of bacteria is this? I forgot, but I saw it on my test the other day." Will said, distracting her. He wasn't lying, but he didn't really care about bacteria. Elle smiled and shrugged. "That's just fungi, Will. Even you should know that." She said, playfully nudging him. He gave her a friendly slap on the arm and the two laughed for a moment.

The time came after many successful distractions, for Will to say that they needed to return home. The sun was beginning to fade in the distance and the two walked back instead of biking, just to take in the scenery. Elle loved the forest, and thought it was a comforting place. She had ever since she came out of the lab- it was the first place she went. It was a safe place for her. Not as safe as Mike's embrace, but second by a hair.

When they arrived, Elle opened up the door to be greeted by everyone screaming "SURPRISE!"

She smiled widely and looked around. Everything was pink and there were eggos EVERYWHERE. She loved it. "Happy birthday, Elle!" Joyce said, hugging her daughter. "We don't know when your real birthday is, but today's the day you met the boys last year and we thought we could celebrate it today." She said. Elle hugged her tightly back. "Thank you!" She said, and then hugged everyone else. Mike blushed at his hug, but everyone else thought it was cute.

She was so excited to have her very own birthday. She still had no idea about cake or presents, until Joyce clapped her hands together excitedly and announced it. "Alright everybody, time for cake!" She said, bringing them all into the kitchen. There was a cake inside decorated like a big waffle. Apparently Joyce had bribed the local bakery to do it for her with a little bit of extra pay, and Elle absolutely loved it.

When time came for presents, Elle was overwhelmed. She loved the presents everyone gave her, but her favorite was Mike's. He had gotten her a locket with a picture of them inside on one side and on the other, the word "promise" engraved. Elle thanked everyone a million times and hugged Mike just over that many.

The next morning Elle was walking to wake Jonathan up. She was going to ask if he could drive her to the Wheelers' house, where everyone had slept over, except for her, as Karen was out of town and Ted didn't want some sketchy girl staying in his house with his son. Jonathan just grinned and said no, but he said there was a better way.

Elle Byers now had a bike of her very own.

Learning to ride it was challenging, but she got used to it over the course of the day, and biked over to the Wheelers' that afternoon with the help of Jonathan guiding her in the right direction.


	18. December 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Sweet Creature by Harry Styles

It had been a few weeks since her birthday, and Elle had mastered riding her bike. It was a normal bike, nothing special about it, but she absolutely loved it. It matched the boys, and it made her feel like she fit in for once. Elle adored the feeling of normalcy. 

She approached the Wheelers’ house before parking her bike, aka putting it against the tree next to their driveway. She rang the doorbell once. Elle was probably the most polite of the group. She was patient and courteous, VERY, if you compared her to the boys. 

The girl waited for a moment before Mike opened the door and smiled at her. She smiled back and walked inside. “Hey, Elle.” he greeted, giving her a gentle hug. She wrapped herself up in his arms, hugging him back. “Hey, Mike.” She said into her shoulder. His heart tingled. He loved her voice, it reminded him of sweetness, like honey, mixed with the warmth of fire. 

She wasn’t there for any particular reason, just out of boredom. She was starting to see why the boys hated school so much- it got boring and repetitive after a while. She couldn’t wait until she could join them at Hawkins High School, though. 

Elle had watched movies with Nancy and had seen the way people depicted high school. As far as she could tell, she was going to love it. Elle had even talked with Nancy about it, who was a Junior that year, and they’d discussed everything Elle would need. Of course, they’d talk about it after the next year as well. Nancy would be graduating, as well as Jonathan, leaving the next generation of Wheelers and Byers on their own. Elle knew she’d definitely miss Nancy and Jonathan, but it would be a good opportunity for her to bond more with Will. Even so, there was still over a year before she even had to worry about that.

Mike and Elle headed down into the basement where, to Elle’s surprise, Dustin was sitting. She didn’t know he had come over, but she had no problem with it. Although she did want to have some alone time with Mike, she figured she’d get it eventually, and she didn’t mind spending time with both of them. “Hey, Dustin.” Elle greeted with a wave and a friendly smile. He grinned back. “Elle! I didn’t know you were coming over.” He said. When Elle turned around to see Mike walking down the stairs after her, Dustin shot him a glare. Apparently, whatever they had been talking about before Elle got there, was important… and private.

Elle didn’t catch on to this for a while, until she went to the restroom. She was washing her hands when she heard Mike. 

“Dustin, you can’t tell her! I’m planning on asking her myself. Please, man.” Mike was begging. Elle heard Dustin’s signature laugh with the little snort at the end. “Relax, Mike. I won’t tell her. Just remember what we talked about.” He said. Mike sighed. “What if she says no?” He asked, now sounding even more concerned. “Mike, she’s your girlfriend. She’s not gonna say no.” Dustin said, rolling his eyes.

Elle walked out and the two boys immediately turned their heads. Elle pretended she hadn’t heard anything, and the boys seemed to fall for it. She sat down and looked up at them. “What?” She asked, playing innocent. Dustin muttered something inaudible and Mike elbowed him. “Nothing!” He said quickly, smiling nervously. Elle smiled back, not falling for it like they had with her. Mike quickly changed the conversation. “Guys, wanna play monopoly?” He asked. They couldn’t do a campaign obviously, since Mike hadn’t finished his weekly one and none of the others were there, so Elle and Dustin agreed on monopoly.

As they played, Elle got more aggressive in a playful way. She owned half of the board, leaving Mike and Dustin to struggle. Halfway through, Dustin gave Mike a glance. “Dude, we’re in deep shit.” He said. Mike gulped, nodding. Elle grinned victoriously from across the board. “Not yet, missy!” Dustin challenged. Elle tilted her head. “Oh really? Good luck, Dustin!” She replied matter-of-factly.

Dustin and Elle were trying to play all of their aces, but eventually, Elle win. “I let you win.” Dustin said defiantly but everyone knew he had been beaten fair and square. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Henderson.” Elle said back with her champion grin.

Dustin decided that they should watch a movie, and, for the first time, the group watched something abnormal. They watched Gremlins, since it had recently come out, and they absolutely loved it. Elle jumped a few times, to Mike’s surprise, and was eventually holding onto him. They held hands for the rest of the movie, and Dustin pretended not to notice. Eventually, he couldn’t help it. “Awwwww.” He said near the end of the movie. “You guys are sooooo cute.” He teased. Mike and Elle both blushed and turned their heads to avoid Dustin. Mike ended up with his lips touching the nape of Elle’s neck and he blushed even more, moving over. Elle did the same thing, and he could see her reddened cheeks. 

After the initial awkwardness was gone, everyone turned back to the movie. It was near its end, but still going, so they figured they’d watch the rest and figure out what to do after that. It was Saturday, December 1st, and the snowball was in 6 days. Mike knew he had to hurry up and ask her or she wouldn’t have time to get a dress, and he’d have to rush to get a tux. Even if he hated tuxes, he wanted to look his best for Elle, so he figured he’d be able to deal with some awkward clothes to be there with her. 

Eventually, the phone rang, and Dustin ran over to get it. It was Joyce. “Elle, it’s your mom.” Dustin said, and Elle got up. She walked over to them and picked up the phone, pressing it gently against her ear. “Hey, mom.” She said with that soft voice that Mike loved so much. “Okay. Really?” Dustin and Mike heard her say in between inaudible, muffled sounds from Joyce. “Thanks! I love you too.” Elle said. She had recently picked up on ‘I love you’ with Joyce, and Mike thought it was cute. Elle hung up the phone. “She said I could sleep over.” She said with a smile, and Mike and Dustin smiled as well.

‘That’s the thing,’ Mike thought. ‘Elle’s smiles are contagious.’ He had noticed this, because, every time she were to smile that sweet, soft smile, he couldn’t help himself. He always smiled back, it was almost involuntary at that point. He originally thought it was impossible, but he was falling for her even farther. He didn’t know how or why, but he did know that what he felt was real. He hoped what she felt was real too. 

It was. Every time Elle saw Mike smile back at her, her own expression lingered a little longer. She loved all of his features. When he’d fall asleep before her, she’d count his freckles and sometimes give him a small kiss on the cheek. Mike was a deep sleeper, and even snored a little bit sometimes, but he wasn’t as bad as Dustin. That boy could snore like an elephant. Elle noticed it right when she got back, and was surprised she hadn’t noticed it before. However, she had never slept over with Dustin there, so she didn’t know anyways. 

Elle was now sitting down next to Mike and their hands were inching towards the other’s slowly, greedily, as if they NEEDED to hold eachother. Like it was oxygen in their hearts. Their hands met and Mike laced Elle’s fingers with his, stroking the soft skin that made up the back of her hand with his thumb. Elle loved that feeling.

Surprisingly, Elle had learned a lot about love. Joyce had taught her about it and told her everything she needed to know. She also told her it was something you felt for only one person. Joyce told her all sorts of stuff, and introduced her to saying ‘I love you’ to your family members. She also said it was for people you loved romantically. Yet another word Elle had learned. She realized it fit perfectly with what Mike had told her in the year prior. ‘Not a friend, not a brother.’ Elle had thought to herself with a small smile. She also knew now that she was too young to say ‘I love you’, but she figured she’d know when the time came. And she only had one person in mind that she wanted to say it to.

Meanwhile, Mike was sitting there, silently. Dustin was running up the stairs to get snacks. He was always hungry, and Elle thought it was funny, especially when she remembered him screaming ‘MIKE, I FOUND THE CHOCOLATE PUDDING!’ on the night when she’d had her first kiss… with Mike, of course.

It was a beautiful time for Mike to do what he needed to do, but something inside him was telling him not to. He was so nervous, in fight or flight mode, thinking she’d say no. He heard Dustin’s feet stop stomping on the stairs as the other boy went into the kitchen and realized he was out of earshot. He turned to Elle, taking her other hand as well. This had never happened, but Elle figured it was more important than just holding one hand.

He looked into her eyes, sucking in a breath, looking concerned. “What’s wrong, Mike?” Elle asked, now concerned as well. He noticed this and shook his head rapidly. “No, Elle, nothing’s wrong!” He assured her. She gave him a ‘really?’ look and gave him the response that always made him say whatever was on his mind, in any situation. “Friends don’t lie.” She said, raising one eyebrow.

Mike sucked in another breath. ‘Come on, Wheeler. Get it over with.’ He thought and met her gaze again. “I was, uh… wondering if you wanted to go to the Snowball with me, this year.” He said, expecting her to look annoyed about it. Instead, Elle was smiling softly. “Of course.” She said. “Besides, we promised.” She said, and leaned forward. Mike did the same thing, and the two exchanged a tender kiss. They had stopped holding hands and Mike guided her hands to rest on his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist. When they heard Dustin beginning to come down the stairs, they were ripped away from eachother, but Elle leaned against Mike on the couch and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Dustin threw two cans of coke their way and Elle caught hers, but Mike got hit in the head. He groaned loudly. “Dustinnnnn!” He muttered, rubbing the side of his head. Elle looked over at him. “You okay, Mike?” She asked. He nodded. “Yeah.” He said with a light chuckle, picking up the can and pressing it against his head. The cold was like an ice pack, plus, he was too lazy to go upstairs and explain to his mother why he needed to have ice on his head. If she knew, Dustin would be back at his own house in a heartbeat. Mrs. Wheeler was extremely protective of her children since the “incident”, as she called it, and was almost always hesitant to let them out of her sight. 

In the beginning, she’d barely let them go anywhere. It was like house arrest, and Mike only went to school. She even drove him there and home, just to make sure he wasn’t going to get lost out in the forest or something. She was paranoid constantly, and couldn’t help but think about Elle sometimes. The girl who was chased by the government, raised in a lab like an animal. The girl who was given every right to hate the world but helped it instead. 

Nancy, on the other hand, was allowed to go by herself as long as she had someone to drive her. That someone was Jonathan Byers. Although she was dating Steve, Karen always thought that her daughter had a strong connection with the Byers boy, and she couldn’t help but notice how happy she was around him. Friends or not, she admired Jonathan, and trusted him. He’d managed to keep her safe during the week of hell that Karen referred to as the incident, and she owed him her daughter’s life, so letting him drive her to school was a great opportunity.

She’d gotten a lot less strict, and now it was like things were back to normal. She was just cautious every now and then to make sure they weren’t getting into government-related trouble. Of course, Ted hadn’t changed at all. Even on the night that Elle had disappeared, Mike had been a wreck, and Ted just sat downstairs, watching TV on the La-Z-Boy. Karen frowned upon her husband very frequently, and it was getting worse. She was considering divorce.

Meanwhile, Dustin was excitedly talking about his new X-Men comic. Mike and Elle were absentmindedly listening, thinking about eachother and the snowball in between Dustin’s excited gasps. Eventually, Karen poked her head down into the stairwell. “Time for bed!” She called. Mike rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Moooooom!” He protested. “No arguing, Michael!” She replied curtly and he sighed, standing up. Elle and Dustin got out blankets and sleeping bags and laid down on the floor. Mike ran upstairs and got his sleeping bag out of his closet. He had always stored it on the top shelf above his clothing rack. He ran back downstairs to see Dustin already asleep, and Elle waiting for him.

She was smiling and he smiled back, putting his sleeping bag next to hers. “Are you excited?” She asked. He nodded. “Yeah. We have to get fancy clothes though, it’s kinda stupid. I have to go get a tux with my mom and Joyce or Nancy will take you to get a dress.” He said. She nodded, taking in every word. “But yeah, it’s going to be kinda weird at first, but you’ll like it, I promise.” He said. “There will be dancing and music, and if it gets too boring or weird we can go outside.” Elle nodded, and leaned her head against his shoulder. When Karen walked downstairs, both kids had pretended to fall asleep in their own sleeping bags. She turned off the light and walked back up, closing the door to the stairwell.

The two sat back up and Elle looked a little bit confused, aka adorable to Mike. “How do I dance?” Elle asked. Mike smiled and stood up, reaching out for her hand. She took it and he helped her up. “Follow my lead.” He said, putting her arms around his neck. He put his back around her waist and began swaying side to side. Elle did the same thing and picked up rather quickly. The two stood there, dancing to no music, and found themselves resting their foreheads against eachother’s. 

Mike decided that wearing an uncomfortable tux was definitely worth it to be dancing like Elle.


	19. Snowball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry :')

The morning began when Will ran down the stairs and tapped everyone rapidly to wake them all up. Elle woke up first, as she was the first to be annoyed, and then Dustin and finally Mike. Everyone was groaning and rubbing their eyes while Will could barely hold himself together. “What the hell, Will?” Dustin managed to groan, glaring at his friend.

“You’ll never believe what happened.” Will began, looking like he was about explode. Mike rolled his eyes. “Well, what are you waiting for? You woke us all up at… Will, it’s 6:00 in the morning!” He exclaimed, looking at Will like he was crazy. Will just shuffled awkwardly. “I was gonna tell you last night but I got… caught up in something.” He said, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

“I… uh… well…” Will stuttered. “I asked Jennifer Hayes to the Snowball and she said yes!” Will managed to squeak, jumping around like a little kid. Elle stood up and patted him on the back. “Good job, Will. Now, can we go back to sleep, or am I going to have to drag you back home so mom doesn’t find out you snuck out at 6 am?” Elle asked. Will smiled awkwardly. “Actually, we do need to go home. Mom’s gonna get me a tux and you a dress, we’re going when she wakes up before she goes to work.” Will explained. Elle nodded and yawned, stretching her long legs. Mike and Dustin were sitting up too. “Alright, well, see you guys later!” Elle said, walking up the stairs with Will.

“Later!” Dustin yelled. “Bye, guys!” Mike added. Then the other boy turned to him. “Dude, we need to set Lucas up.” He said. Mike nodded in agreement. “We really do.” He replied with a chuckle. “He’s had a thing for that Max girl for a while, should we have Elle talk to her?” He asked. Dustin nodded. “That’s perfect! But how will we get Elle to talk to her? She doesn’t go to school with us yet and last time I checked, Elle wasn’t the most social person.” Mike shrugged. “I guess we should just give her a conversation starter and send her off? Then see if Max likes Lucas?” Dustin nodded in reply. “Yeah. Let’s just hope it works out, because otherwise, Lucas is gonna be the only one without a date and that’s going to be awkward.” He said with a shrug. 

In the meantime, Will showed Elle how to sneak in through the Wheelers’ living room window, which was almost always unlocked, and the two managed to get out silently. They climbed through the bushes in the front yard and got onto their bikes, heading out silently into the early morning. The sun hadn’t even began to rise, but by the time they were around halfway back to the house, it was peeking over the horizon like a child looking over a kitchen counter as their mother cooked. 

Will looked over at Elle. “Are you excited?” He asked. Elle looked back at him, nodding with a smile. “Me too.” He replied. “I mean, everybody knew you were going to go with Mike, I’m just shocked that Jennifer is going with me.” He said. Elle tilted her head. “What do you mean?” She asked. Will chuckled. “Well, you two are dating now, so that’s what you do. Like… you two went on a date, right?” He asked. Elle nodded, remembering the night that they’d gone out.

It was just before sunset when Mike had shown up at her door. He knocked and Elle gulped. She had been waiting in the living room for ten minutes, for no particular reason. She didn’t understand what she was currently feeling- it was strange, and she didn’t like it. Her stomach felt fluttery like it always did when Mike was around, but this time, she felt… insecure. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a flowing green shirt. When she opened the door, Mike was wearing a red shirt tucked into khakis with a belt and a familiar blue jacket on. He was holding flowers in his hand and he reached them out to Elle, who tilted her head before realizing she was supposed to take them. They exchanged an awkward greeting before Elle put the flowers inside the house in a vase and came back out. She got onto the back of Mike’s bike, where he was waiting, and the two headed off into the fading evening.

They had arrived at the little diner just after dark and the two sat down in a booth. They ordered their food and began to talk excitedly about whatever Mike could think to talk about. Elle never had a problem listening to him, in fact, she loved to do so. As for Mike- he was just glad he had someone to talk to. None of the boys would listen to his aimless rants, nor would his family. But Elle… she listened to everything. She always did, and he loved that about her. She was so understanding, and he admired the way she put forth an effort to connect with him, as well as the other boys.

The night ended with Elle giving Mike a small kiss on the cheek and heading inside before going to sleep happier than she had been in a while. He left and Elle stared at the flowers on her nightstand before changing into her pajamas and finally turning off the lights. She slept incredibly that night.

“Oh.” Elle said, snapping back into reality. “Yeah.” She said with a light smile. Will smiled back at her. “I remember it now. He took you to the diner, right?” Her brother asked. She gave him a curt nod, shivering lightly as the early morning breeze finally chilled her. The two had finally gotten to their house where they got off of their bikes and rested them against the telephone pole in the front yard. Will and Elle walked inside after unlocking the door silently, and creeped into Will’s bedroom where they played cards for a solid thirty minutes before an unsuspecting Joyce came in.

She yawned. “You two are up early! Elle, when did you get back from the Wheelers’?” Joyce asked, confused. “I thought I was going to pick you up at 9…” She muttered. Will interjected. “She just uh…” he began. “I came home early because I had a nightmare.” Elle said, which was partially true. She did have a nightmare in the previous night, but she had woken up at about 1 am and had gone back to sleep afterwards. Seeing Mike laying next to her turned her nightmare into a dream and she slept peacefully until Will arrived to wake them all up. 

Joyce nodded and hugged her softly. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Is there anything I can do?” Joyce asked, looking into Elle’s eyes. The young girl shook her head and gave her mother a small smile. “I’m okay now.” She reassured. 

Joyce smiled. “I’m going to go get ready and we can go to town in around half an hour? You two need to get breakfast, too. By the way, Elle, call me if you’re going to come home early. I don’t want you out on those roads by yourself, it’s dangerous.” The mother said, hugging her adopted daughter as well as her biological son before leaving the room. Elle nodded and Will looked at her with a grin. “You’re a good liar.” He said, stating his approval. “It wasn’t a total lie.” Elle shrugged and smiled back.

The two got ready and Joyce was soon ready as well. She got the kids into the car and they headed out into the early morning. The shop Joyce wanted to take the kids to was about ten miles away, and it was a short drive. Elle was used to being in biking distance of everything, and heading out to town was a strange occurrence for her. However, she liked going out, she decided. Hawkins was a small town and she thought it was nice seeing that there was more outside, even if the place she called home was enough for her.

Joyce parked the car as they pulled up to the area, getting out. Will and Elle got out of the backseat and closed the doors behind them, walking after Joyce, who was excitedly power-walking towards the store. The family entered and Elle’s eyes widened. It was a huge building with more clothing than Elle had ever seen in her life. She was quite overwhelmed. “First, we find Elle a dress.” Joyce stated. “Then we’ll get you a tux, Will. Oh, and do you have a corsage for your date?” She asked. “Jennifer Hayes, right?” Will turned crimson. “Y… yeah, mom, how do you know?” He asked. She smiled. “I have my ways. What color dress is she wearing?” Will gulped. “Green.” Joyce nodded. “Anyways, Elle, I’ll get you a few dresses to try on. You two stay here, okay?” She asked.

A saleswoman approached the two. “Awww, are you two going to a dance together?” She asked. Will shook his head vigorously, and Elle did the same thing, remembering what Mike had said in 1983 about going to dances with your sister. “No, she’s… she’s my sister.” Will said awkwardly with a laugh. “Oh, oh my. Wait a second, you’re… you’re Will Byers, correct?” The woman asked. Will nodded nervously. “Oh my. Well, you’re quite a mystery, huh?” She asked with a chuckle. Will shrugged. He had gotten his fair share of awkward attention from people, but this woman was vaguely annoying. “Alright, well, have fun, you two!” The lady crowed before walking back to the register where she had been working.

Joyce returned a few minutes later with an armful of colorful fabric. She took Elle into the dressing room, where the girl tried on a few dresses before finally coming outside with one that Joyce decided was definitely the one. The girl was wearing an off-the-shoulder red dress that cut off right above her knees. It had a silky finish and Elle looked absolutely stunning in it. Even Will was smiling when she came out.

Then, it was Will’s turn. He groaned when his mother shoved tux after tux into his hands before he finally came outside of the dressing room wearing a simple black tux. Joyce clapped her hands together and squealed before picking up the dress and going to the cash register after Will had changed back into his regular clothes with the tux.

Apparently it was rather expensive, but Joyce had been working hard and had enough money to afford both without any big issues. The kids left the store happily.

Meanwhile, Mike and Dustin’s plan was interrupted when Mrs. Wheeler said that she was taking both boys to go get tuxes. They both groaned in agony as Mike’s mother dragged them off. They both came back victoriously. Dustin had gotten a black tux with an orange tie and Mike got a grey tux with a red tie. Apparently Joyce had eagerly called Karen to inform her about what Elle was wearing, and Mike also had to get a red-rose corsage. He thought it was cheesy, but everything about the Snowball was, so he figured he’d go along with it. Dustin got a corsage for his date as well and the second group left.

Now, all they had to do was get Lucas his date. Speaking of, the boy was sitting in his room, still asleep. It was about noon before he finally woke up to the sound of Mike and Dustin rapidly calling his name through the Supercom sitting beside his bed. “What?!” He answered sharply in his usual tone.

“We know you have a thing for Max, over.” Mike said and Dustin was giggling in the background like a little kid. Lucas was glad they weren’t there in person because his face had frozen up and all the color had drained from it… except for the blush of course. “W-what?! Over!” Lucas asked again, this time nervous. Dustin and Mike were both rolling their eyes before Dustin spoke. “Dude, it’s okay. We’re trying to set you two up. Elle’s going to talk to Max and see if she likes you. Over.” He said. Lucas’ eyes widened. “N… no! I’ll… I’ll ask her myself! Over.” He said. He didn’t want the others trying to play match-maker with him, especially not Dustin. That boy was persistent in every way and Lucas was not about to give him the satisfaction of successfully setting him up with his crush. “Okay, but only if you swear you’ll do it by the end of tomorrow, over.” Mike said. Lucas groaned and sighed. “Fine, I’ll be over in ten minutes, over and out.” He said. “Over and out.” Replied Mike and Dustin, who were high-fiving across the street.

Lucas arrived and the boys made him spit swear before giving him some flowers that they’d picked outside. “Give these to her.” Dustin said, shoving them into Lucas’ hands. Lucas looked confused. “These are weeds. She’s gonna hate them.” He replied, annoyed. “I’ll just go ask her.” He said with a shrug. It seemed to work with everyone, so that’s what he did.

Max’s house wasn’t too far away. Dustin knew the address since he’d had a science project with her earlier in the year. The boys arrived and Lucas walked up to the door, nervously. Mike and Dustin were hiding in the bushes to give them “privacy”.

Nothing could’ve been more awkward. Max ended up saying yes and Lucas was almost as happy as he’d been when Elle had returned, and the boys left, satisfied with their work. Lucas eventually got his tux and corsage and everything was set into motion.

A few days passed by uneventfully, and it was now the night of the Snowball. Mike was pacing awkwardly at his house, where everyone had agreed to meet. Well, not everyone. Elle, Will, and Dustin had come to his house. Lucas’ parents were driving him and Max, and Larissa was coming on her own. Finally, the doorbell rang and Dustin walked into the Wheelers’ house after Mike opened the door, followed by Will and Elle. They had met up by Dustin’s house to all bike together since it was on the way to the Wheelers’, and they were all waiting for Mike’s mom to come downstairs and go through her whole annoying picture routine.

“Awww, Elle, lay your head on Mike’s shoulder!” Nancy crowed as she stood beside Jonathan, who was snapping photos mercilessly under Karen’s orders. 

“Everybody get together!”

“Alright, just the boys!”

“Jonathan, take pictures of them all at the dance, please?” 

And Jonathan ended up being the one to drive them all to the school that night. The kids gathered themselves up in his car and he drove off into the night. Nancy was following, as she couldn’t fit into the car with them. The High Schoolers had a dance as well, which lasted longer and needed a lot more chaperones to keep the horny older teenagers separated. 

So, they arrived, and the kids separated from their older siblings, who headed off to the High School. Mike held the door for Elle, who looked around with wonder as she saw the gym, which was once bland and strange with a kiddie pool on the floor, now covered by blue light and streamers. Kids were dancing and running around, and Mike, Dustin, and Will were walking with her. They saw Larissa and Jennifer talking, and Dustin and Will ran over to their dates, leaving Mike and Elle alone.

“Hey, Elle?” Mike asked nervously. Elle turned her head to meet his gaze. “Yes?” She responded. Mike felt so uneasy. It was usually not this hard to be around Elle, but the way her ivory skin glowed under the blue lights and how her hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves was too much for him. He gave into the pressure and figured he’d just let the words out of his mind.

“You look… beautiful.” He said. Elle smiled and nudged him softly. “You look handsome.” She replied. “Do you, uh.. do you want to dance?” Mike asked. Elle nodded, and the two headed to the dance floor just as Time After Time came on. It was Elle’s favorite song, and Mike would never admit that he secretly liked it as well, but the two danced along with their friends, just in different groups. 

Lucas and Max came in a little bit later, and joined in. Finally it was back to blaring pop music, and everyone got back together. Larissa, Jennifer, and Max were both staring at Elle. “Hey, have we met?” Larissa finally asked, and Elle shook her head. “Oh, well, I’m Larissa. I’m here with Dustin.” The girl said. Elle liked her. She had natural, straight jet-black hair and brown eyes. Max had freckles, blue eyes, and red hair. Jennifer had green eyes and blonde hair. Elle smiled. “I’m Elle. I’m here with Mike.” she said, and Mike was scooting closer to her after noticing she was talking to the other girls. 

He eventually backed off as they started to chat about hanging out sometime, and Elle had happily agreed. She’d gone through the whole story of how she had moved from Sweden to live with Joyce, her “aunt”, and met Mike through Will. She stated that she was friends with the other boys as well, of course. 

Finally, something had to go wrong. Elle figured it would eventually because of how perfect the night was going- everyone as happy and she’d even made new friends. Something about the girls was different from the boys. Of course, Elle enjoyed being around both, and she was glad to have the boys, but something about having friends of the same gender was interesting. They were more relatable for the most part, talking about similar books that they’d read instead of sports and D&D and such, even if Elle liked talking about that to.

Of course it was Troy. Of all people. He had sauntered his way over to the group of girls with James by his side and began to flirt with one of them- Elle. He had recognized her and decided to do it just to piss Mike and the others off. 

“Hey, what are you doing tonight?” He asked Elle with a grin. She furrowed her brow. “Um, nothing?” She said hesitantly. Beside her, Jennifer was rolling her eyes. “Leave her alone, Troy.” She spat. He ignored her. “Then come back to my place.” He stated. Elle tilted her head. “What?” She asked, a tone of disgust in her voice. She’d heard about situations like these with Nancy and Joyce while they were teaching her about social cues and such, and she was feeling very uncomfortable. The boys, who were across the gym, hadn’t seen this of course. 

“Oh come on, we all know Wheeler only tolerates you because he’s afraid of you.” Troy began. “T-That’s not true!” Elle let out, exasperated. Troy chuckled. “Come on.” He said, grabbing Elle’s arm. His grip was tight and Elle struggled to get her arm away. She would use her powers, but she couldn’t. She hadn’t used them much since her return, plus she was surrounded by people. She didn’t know that the lab had abandoned her, and she figured someone would tell. “Lando Calrissian.” Like Dustin had said.

So she ended up being lead out of the gym by Troy with James distracting the other girls. Jennifer was scowling. “What the hell, James?!” She snapped. James rolled his eyes. “Relax, they’re just talking.” He said. Everyone was thinking how air-headed James was before Max tried to get away. “What are you doing?!” James ran after her. He didn’t really know what was going on, just that he was supposed to keep anybody from going after his friend and that girl.

Meanwhile, Troy had lead Elle outside and she was shivering lightly in the cold. “Don’t worry, you won’t be cold for long.” Troy sneered, laughing. Elle was shaking lightly, not from the cold, but from fear. Snow had begun to fall from the cloudy sky, but small pools of stars were peeking out around the clouds like puddles of rain. 

Elle realized that they were trudging through the forest now, and she had no idea what was going on until Troy stopped. “Get down.” He commanded. She sat down on the ground, confused, and bent over, their faces inches away. “Tell anyone about this and Wheeler’s as good as dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He growled. Elle gulped nervously. “W-What?” She asked, fear shining in her brown eyes. He rolled his eyes, meeting hers again. His eyes were cold… so cold. Mike’s were warm and inviting, like home, but Troy’s? They were colder than the snow that was now hitting Elle’s uncovered shoulders. Suddenly she saw Troy unzip his jeans and begin fumbling around, before pulling out his- 

Elle’s eyes widened and she began to back up. “Oh, no, you’re doing exactly what I say or he’s never gonna see you again.” Troy hissed, spitting words like venom. Elle was crying a bit now before she hesitantly came back over. He put his hands on his head and commanded for her to open her mouth before she finally obeyed. He stuck his length into her mouth and began to pump violently into her throat. Elle gagged and tears streamed down her cheeks before he pulled out and pushed her down onto the forest floor. He moved over and put his hands on her chest before pulling down the red fabric covering her, exposing her breasts to him. He took one in his hand and then let go, slapping it a few seconds later. Elle winced with pain and refused to look at him, still crying.

He reached his hand lower and behind her, around her waist. Like Mike… but different. Wrong and… dirty. He unzipped her dress and pulled it down as snow began to fall onto her now almost bare body. He reached down and Elle heard a ripping noise before he tossed her panties off into the pine straw and reached down, pressing his palm against her. She whimpered before he began to position himself over her entrance before her heard a loud yell. 

“ELLE!” It was Mike. He had been caught. Troy got up, zipping up his pants, and ran for it, while Elle sobbed to herself, picking up her dress and struggling to zip it up in the back. She blocked out the noise of the calls until they died down. Realizing they were gone, she relaxed for a moment- a moment too soon. She felt a sharp pain in the back of her head before everything turned to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg guys i'm soooo sorry. things were too happy, i had to have something disastrous occur. chapter 20 will be up in a few hours. gotta give this time to soak in.
> 
> xoxo  
> arizonasnow


	20. Recovery

Troy threw the rock as hard as he could and saw it hit her in the head before running off towards the road. He disappeared into the night.

Elle laid there for around half an hour. Her body was numb and freezing, but she wasn’t dead. She had been knocked out by that rock, which was now sitting next to her.

Meanwhile, Max, Jennifer, and Larissa were looking desperately for Elle. They called her name, screamed it, and looked all over before finding their way into the forest. Finally, Larissa let out a struggled, shocked gasp before breaking into a sprint. Max and Jennifer followed quickly after her before coming across the small, curled up body. Dried blood was on the back of her head and her dress was tattered in places it shouldn’t have been. It was partially unzipped in the back, and they saw a pair of white lace panties ripped and thrown to the side. They saw smeared lipstick on the side of Elle’s cheek and dried mascara tears. They could piece everything together. It didn’t take a genius to realize what had happened. Snow was falling quickly now, and Jennifer looked over at the others. “Larissa, you run track right?” She asked. Larissa shot her a glare. “Jenny, this isn’t the time to be discussing sports! She’s fucking hurt!” She said, crouching by Elle’s side and taking the girl into her arms to warm her up. 

“No, what I’m trying to say is that you can run. So, run back to the school. Get the boys. We need to get her to the hospital!” Jennifer replied. Larissa understood her cue and got up, sprinting back towards the school while Max and Jennifer stooped down to warm up Elle. Max was looking scared. “This is all my fault, I shouldn’t have let Troy even come over to us.” She said, shaking her head. “No, Max. It’s all of our faults. You were the one who tried to go after them, remember? We just sat there and got trampled by the stupidest kid in school.” Jennifer replied, rubbing her forehead. Finally, five figures were seen in the distance. Three of them were sprinting, two were jogging. Mike, Will, and Larissa were the sprinters. Dustin and Lucas caught up moments after them.

Mike crashed onto the forest floor after tripping over his shoelace which had become undone. He didn’t care, not at all. He took Elle into his arms and hugged her close before realizing she wasn’t conscious. “Someone go get help!” He yelled, and Larissa sprinted back towards the school.

Around half an hour later, Mike was still holding the girl in his arms. She was still unconscious. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, cradling her head to keep her up. A few tears had fallen from his eyes as well as Will’s. Everyone was there now except for Larissa. “Who did this?” Mike growled lowly after seeing Elle’s ripped panties thrown to the side. 

“Troy.” Jennifer replied gravely. Mike’s breathing got faster and his blood boiled. “That motherfucker!” He spat before calming down to hold Elle closer to him. Will was pacing and basically hyperventilating before Jennifer calmed him down. “We shouldn’t have left you all alone.” Will said, crying lightly. Jennifer shook her head. “Don’t blame yourselves. This is all of our faults.” She said, and the two shared a brief hug. 

Finally, sirens were heard in the distance and Mike’s grip on Elle got tighter. Dustin walked over. “Come on, they can’t get the ambulance into the woods. We can carry her to the school though.” He said, patting Mike’s back. The two hoisted Elle up and Mike decided that he didn’t need Dustin’s help. 

He had grown in muscle and height in the past year and wasn’t as willowy and awkward anymore. Plus, Elle was still somewhat light and he was walking quickly while the others ran ahead to catch up to the ambulance. When Mike finally got there, out of breath, paramedics took Elle from him. He let go, hesitantly, and they took her away on a stretcher. Will was allowed to ride in the ambulance with her because he was her brother.

Mike and the others ran into the high school to find Jonathan and Nancy. They found the two slow dancing in the corner, and the kids were getting looks from many high schoolers. “Jonathan! Nancy!” Mike called out. The two snapped away from eachother, embarrassed to see their younger siblings. Jonathan looked around, counting all of the kids. “Where’s Will and Elle?” He asked, furrowing his brow. “Drive us to the hospital. Now.” Dustin said, not bothering to explain.

The cars were extremely fast, speeding down the road. Dustin, Max, and Lucas were in one, and Larissa and Jennifer were in the other. Nancy turned to look at Larissa, who was sitting in the front with her. “Who, what, and why?” Nancy asked with a monotone voice. “Elle. She… she was…” Larissa began before turning away, tears in the corners of her eyes. Jennifer spoke up. “She was raped.”

Nancy hit the gas pedal harder than she ever had and sped off, not caring if anyone saw her. That wasn’t important. When Jonathan heard the news, he could understand why Nancy had sped off, and was quick to follow after her. 

When they all arrived, Elle was laying in a hospital bed, covered in blankets. An IV was hanging on a bag, transmitting medicine to her fragile body. Everyone was forced to sit in the waiting room and everyone called their parents. Joyce, Hopper, and Karen were the quickest to get there. Joyce demanded that she saw her daughter, and Hopper managed to get her in after insisting that they were investigating. 

Hopper wouldn’t admit it, but he had a soft spot for Eleven… Elle. He wasn’t used to calling her that, but he’d get used to it eventually. They had some kind of strange connection, plus, he felt strongly for Joyce, and Joyce felt strongly for Elle. So, Hop had to figure out what happened. Joyce was sobbing, holding Elle’s freezing hand. Eventually, Will and Jonathan were allowed in as well. Joyce hugged them, and they began to cry as well. “Who… who did this?” She asked through sobs.

Will spoke up. “Troy… Troy Harrington.”

Jonathan growled under his sobs and held his mother and brother closer together.

It was another hour before Elle finally slipped back into consciousness. She looked around, confused and scared before letting out a tiny, weakened sob. Joyce turned her head and immediately ran over to her, kissing the fragile girl’s head. Hopper had left by then, and Jonathan and Will were sent back out so that the nurse could replace Elle’s IV. 

The nurse came back in after Joyce called for her, and Elle was scared of all of the machines surrounding her. Joyce looked into her daughter’s eyes. “Honey… what happened?” She asked. Elle was crying too at this point- everyone was. “M… mouthbreather. Touched me. Wrong.” She managed to croak in between gasps. Joyce began to cry more, cradling her daughter into her arms. “I’m so sorry, baby.” She said, holding her close. “I’m so sorry.” She repeated. Finally, Elle managed to fall asleep. She was exhausted, despite being unconscious for a few hours. Her body had been fighting though- fighting the cold, fighting the trauma. Mike and the others were all allowed in, and they all dragged up chairs to sit next to Elle. Mike was holding one of her hands, Joyce holding the other. 

Everyone was sent home except for Joyce, Jonathan, and Will. But Hopper was busy too.

He stormed through his office and got another officer. “Come on, we’re going to the Harrington house.” He growled. The officer tilted his head. “But chief, it’s 11 pm, and we have no reason?” He said hesitantly. Hopper shot him a glare. “I understand that you’re new here, but we just got a rape case. Now come with me or consider your job over.” He hissed.

The siren blared outside of the Harrington house, which woke up Steve. He’d barely been sleeping lately. After Nancy had broken up with him, he didn’t really know what to do. He had… loved her. Not the other girls he’d hooked up with. No. Nancy was different. He groaned and looked outside to see Hopper knocking furiously at his door. Steve walked down the stairs, wearing only pajamas, and opened the door. “Good evening, officer.” He said with a yawn. Hopper was looking angrier than ever. “Is Troy home?” He asked. Steve nodded. “Yeah. Troy, come downstairs!” He called, and he heard a groan before his brother came stomping down the stairs to see Hopper walking towards him. He grabbed Troy by the collar. Steve walked over. “Woah, woah woah, Chief!” He said, protesting. 

“Why’d you do that?” Hopper snarled. Troy gulped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said. Hopper was inches away from the boy’s face. “Why did you touch her?” He asked. “Lying to the police is going to get you into some serious trouble, boy.”

And that’s how Troy Harrington spent two months in Juvy.

A day later, Elle was released from the hospital. Will and Jonathan were allowed to skip school to be with her, and they helped her inside the house, where she headed straight to her room, crawling into her bed. Will sat with her the whole time, talking about completely random things, and drawing. He noticed the picture of her hanging up, making him smile softly. He noticed Elle fall asleep and heard the doorbell ring. He got up to answer it but found that Elle wasn’t actually sleeping. “Will… I… I want to be alone.” She croaked out. He nodded, understanding, and left, closing the door gently.

Elle rolled onto her side and began to sob lightly. She felt disgusting. 

Will opened the door to see Mike standing there, holding some roses and a box of eggos. This sent a sad smile to Will’s face before he let his friend in. “She wants to be alone, but I’ll tell her you came by.” He said softly. Mike shook his head. “Can… can I stay? In case she wants company later? I just… I’m too scared to leave her alone.” He said, gulping. Will nodded. “Okay.” He said quietly. He ended up sitting beside Elle’s door just to be close to her, and every time she’d let out a sob, it broke him. He felt like it was his fault that this had happened, but everyone did. At least she was safe now.

She certainly didn’t feel that way, though. She could still feel Troy’s hands on her body and hear his cold voice. What she wanted was Mike- his soft embraces, his warm eyes. He was the sun to her moon, and she loved every moment that she soaked in his light. She had no idea he was there, and just rolled over before letting out a struggled half-sob, half-cry. And then Mike burst the door open and ran to her. Will protested, but Elle looked over at him as he crashed into her, holding her tight. 

Will gave up and closed the door to give them privacy, sitting down near where Mike had been sitting for the past half hour. He could hear Mike inside whispering over and over to Elle. He was saying he was sorry. 

All three kids were currently crying. Elle and Mike were sobbing while Will shed a few silent tears. Eventually, Mike moved over and Elle pulled her sheets back. Mike crawled in and took her into an embrace, holding her as close as he possibly could. He never wanted to let her out of his sight ever again, even though he knew he’d have to eventually. But for the moment, he didn’t, so he just held on, stroking her face, which he cradled with one hand. She was curled up in his embrace, both of her hands resting against his chest. He reached down and kissed the top of her head a few times, running his hand through her hair.

Elle’s crying got worse and he lifted her head up to meet her gaze. “He’ll never lay a hand on you ever again.” Mike said, kissing her forehead. Elle sniffled and nodded, burying her head in his chest. Normally, Mike would’ve been too embarrassed to let this out.

“I love you, Elle. I don’t want anything bad to ever happen to you, ever again.” Mike declared as Elle looked up at him through wide eyes. She seemed lost in thought, as she had recently learned how much those words meant. But she could tell Mike meant it, so she opened her mouth and spoke back without thinking. She let her heart speak instead of her mind. “I love you too, Mike.” She muttered. 

He gave her a weak smile which she returned and he held her close again. They both fell asleep after a few minutes to their surprise, and when Joyce opened the door to tell Mike he had to go home, she didn’t have the heart to say a word. She just called Karen and got her permission for Mike to stay over, and he did. 

The two woke up the next morning much better than they had been. Mike woke up first, and he went into the kitchen, where Will was already awake. He gave his friend a small smile. “Is she okay?” He asked. Mike nodded. “Yeah, I think she’s doing better. I’m gonna make her an eggo.” He said with a shrug, and popped the toaster waffle into the machine on the countertop. It had been sitting in the bag with a few others. Will was already munching on his. “Okay.” He said. Mike popped in another for himself and eventually waited to see if Elle was going to wake up any time soon.

She did, and she walked into the kitchen. She looked like a mess. Mike hadn’t seen her in the light- when he had come in, it was quite dark. She had the curtains closed and the lights off, but now he really saw how she struggled, and it made him even angrier. She had puffy red eyes and a weakened look. Her arm was bruised and her legs shook with every step. She picked up the waffle and ate it silently.

Eventually Elle moved over next to Mike and Will and reached out to hold Mike’s hand. He reached his back to her and their fingers intertwined. Will got up to go to his room. He wanted to give them some more privacy. 

Elle turned to Mike. “Are… are you mad… at me?” She asked, letting a little tear slide down her cheek while sniffling to keep her nose from running. He turned to her. “You? Of course not, Elle.” He said, stroking the back of her hand. He did that a lot, and he liked how it made her feel comfortable. She always responded positively to that.

“But… Nancy told me about cheating and since he… did that, doesn’t it mean I… I cheated?” She asked, her voice cracking and squeaking on the word ‘cheated’. Mike shook his head rapidly. “No, no, no, Elle, that wasn’t your fault. You didn’t give him consent to touch you and he… he harassed you. Cheating is purposefully doing romantic things with someone else behind your boyfriend or girlfriend’s back.” He explained. Elle nodded and sniffled again, resting her head on his shoulder.

Mike just wanted to punch Troy as hard as he could. He wished, for a moment, that he could have Elle’s powers, to throw him across a room like she’d done with the demogorgon. To put him in his place. 

Mike did have violent tendencies- which he remembered vividly. When Elle tried to tell him that Will wasn’t dead, he’d slapped her on the arm. He pushed Troy over. He’d even punched Lucas in the face for saying that Elle was dead, but that was another story for another day. He knew this was a problem, but it wasn’t right now. Troy deserved whatever punishment he’d get, plus more. The Harringtons were a privileged family, and usually got off with mostly warnings or got cut more slack than everyone else, and Mike knew it.

Joyce came into the kitchen after a little while. She kissed the top of Elle’s head and smiled softly at Mike to greet him before getting an apple out of the fridge and leaving for work after saying goodbye to Will and Jonathan.

Speaking of, the oldest Byers boy was walking into the kitchen just as Joyce left. He saw Elle and walked over to her, hugging her lightly while her hand was still attached to Mike’s. Elle wrapped her other arm around her older brother’s waist to hug him back. “Let me know if you ever want to talk. I’ll always be here for you, Elle.” He said softly to her, and she nodded. He patted her on the back and got some cereal before returning to his room. A few minutes later, everyone and anyone currently in the house heard Cyndi Lauper playing in Jonathan’s room- an extremely rare occasion.

Mike had to leave eventually, but he gave Elle a quiet kiss before riding off towards his house on his bike. He wanted to make her feel better- he could see that, even if she said she was okay, she was still struggling. He understood it after he realized she thought he was mad at her. It crushed his heart to think that she thought that. 

He knocked on Nancy’s door and she opened it. “Hey.” she greeted softly. Nancy had been a lot nicer to Mike since Elle had gotten back, and everyone had noticed it. She had a special connection with the girl- most people did, but as Mike’s sister, she saw the way the two looked at eachother. She supported it, even if she was secretly a little bit jealous that two 13 year olds had a better relationship than she had in a long time. That was different now… now that she had Jonathan.

Nancy sat down on her bed and patted the area next to her, where Mike came over and sat down next to her. “I want to do something for Elle.” He said. Nancy nodded. “Me too. We could get everyone to come visit her and have a little ‘feel better’ party?” She suggested, and Mike’s eyes lit up. “She’d love that.” He replied.

He understood that Elle felt differently when she hung out around other girls. Honestly, it was a very different thing. The guys were sometimes… well… guys. Elle needed a break from their bumbling from time to time, and he was happy to see that she had no friends. Plus, according to Lucas and Dustin, Larissa and Max had talked nonstop about how they wanted to see how Elle was doing in the past few days.

He ran back into his room and picked up his Supercom. “Dustin, are you there? It’s Mike, over.” He said. Dustin picked up his and groaned. “What, Mike? Over.”

“Come to my house, and bring Larissa if you can.” He said. “We’re planning a party for Elle.”


	21. Reunion

When Karen Wheeler opened the door, she didn’t expect to see Dustin, Lucas, Will, and… girls. She furrowed her brow but let them all in, and every single kid headed straight for the basement. Karen put her hand against her head and huffed lightly. “Kids nowadays.” She muttered under her breath before returning to the living room where Holly was impatiently waiting.

Larissa, Jennifer, and Max were the first downstairs after managing to push through the barricade of boys infront of them. Lucas, Dustin, and Will didn’t complain, but they saw Nancy and Mike waiting for them downstairs. 

Lucas spoke up first. “So… what do we even do?” He asked. Clearly the subject of the “incident” was uncomfortable to him. Everyone was uncomfortable about it, of course, but they had to do something. For Elle. 

“I don’t know. Maybe we could bring over some movies and relax with her? I don’t think we should do anything too flashy.” Nancy noted. Everyone agreed with her. Having a big “party” would freak Elle out, and that was the opposite of what they wanted to do. So, everyone decided on what they’d do.

Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas headed off to go get some movies from the rental place and Larissa, Max, Jennifer, and Nancy stayed at the house to brainstorm other ideas. “We could bring her flowers?” Max suggested, her blue eyes filled with ideas. Max was a thinker, and that’s why she and Lucas got along so well. They were very analytical and thought out everything.

Nancy nodded. “Yeah, that would be sweet. Maybe we could write her some cards or something.” She said, and Jennifer and Larissa nodded eagerly. “That sounds perfect.” Larissa said, and Jennifer nodded again in reply.

So, there the girls sat, on the basement floor. Construction paper scraps were everywhere, but several cards looked decent, so they were set off to the side where they wouldn’t be harmed. Nancy had turned on the radio, and Elle’s favorite, Cyndi Lauper, was playing. The girls sang along to All Through the Night.

Meanwhile, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will were on the way back from the local video rental store when Mike suddenly took a turn into the wrong street. The others called after him and he turned around. “Just follow me!” He yelled back, and they followed. 

Mike parked his bike and the others got out, confused. They were in the middle of the shopping center, when Mike walked over to the flower shop with his wallet in hand. The others understood what they were doing and came in after him.

Mike picked out a bouquet of pink peonies and paid at the cash register. The lady who worked there looked over at the boys. “Ah, a special girl, hmm?” She asked, giving Mike an ‘Awww, that’s adorable’ look. He blushed but nodded quietly before getting his change, taking the flowers, and leaving.

They got back to Mike’s house and, for the Wheeler boy to avoid further embarrassment, he put the flowers in the kitchen in a vase. They proceeded to run down the stairs where the girls were waiting, making cards for Elle. Dustin took his seat next to Larissa, Will on her other side. Jennifer was sitting next to Max, who was next to Lucas, and they were all in some kind of awkward circle. Nancy was sitting next to Lucas, and finally Mike was sitting next to Nancy. “Okay, we made her some cards. Did you guys get the movies?” She asked. Mike nodded, and Dustin took off his backpack, dumping out several VHS tapes. 

At the same time, Joyce Byers had an idea to make her daughter feel better of her own. So, she was on the way to Terry Ives’ house. To tell her the truth. And see if she had anything of Elle’s. 

Joyce knocked on the door, feeling slightly scared now that she was alone… without Hopper. He made her feel safe. He wasn’t exactly her friend, but she knew she felt something for him. She just had no idea what it was. Terry herself opened the door, cigarette hanging from her mouth, and motioned for Joyce to come inside.

“Long time no see. Jill, right?” Terry asked, taking another drag from the cigarette in her mouth. “Joyce.” The other woman corrected. “Listen, we need to talk. It’s about El- Jane.” Joyce said, and Terry raised her head. “Oh?” She asked, seeming much more curious. “What about her?” She asked, scooting to the edge of her seat.

“She’s… alive.” Joyce muttered, and Terry’s eyes widened to the size of the moon. “What?! I thought you said she was dead! You told me my daughter was dead!” She said, half shocked, half angry. Joyce gulped, keeping her composure. “I know, I know… I… I lied to you.” She replied. “T… the papers we had you sign were adoption papers. I’m the legal guardian of your daughter.” Joyce confessed.

Terry’s hand hit the side of Joyce’s face hard. The woman was angrier than Joyce thought she would ever be. Of course, it was understandable. She’d convinced the woman that her daughter was dead and had her sign adoption papers without true consent. Joyce figured she deserved it. 

Terry sat back and composed herself before sighing deeply. “So what you’re telling me,” She began, “is that you STOLE my daughter?!” She snapped. Joyce shook her head. “N… no!” She replied, her hands up in a ‘stop’ motion, like she’d just been caught by police.

Terry was crying now. “I… can I at least see her? Jane?” She asked, looking up at Joyce. And mother to mother, there was no way Joyce could’ve said no. She couldn’t deny the woman’s request. She knew how it felt to lose her child, but only for a week, and this woman had spent years searching for hers. Joyce nodded and looked over at her. “Before I go… do you have any old tapes of her?” She asked, and Terry nodded before getting up and walking over to the TV.

Then it hit her. Joyce realized what was happening. When Terry was there, watching TV the last time they visited, she wasn’t watching a show. She was watching Elle’s tapes. She didn’t actually “not care”, she just wanted to continue being with the vision of her daughter. Joyce felt her heart break a little.

Terry dragged a box full of tapes over to where she and Joyce had been sitting. “Here.” She said. “Feel free to borrow them, but please don’t just take them.” Terry pleaded. Joyce nodded. “Of course. Actually… I was thinking you could come see her today, and bring the tapes.” she said, and Terry’s hazel eyes lit up. 

And that was how Terry Ives and Joyce Byers were driving down the road with a box of tapes shuffling around in the backseat while all of Elle’s friends were cutting out colorful shapes on the floor of the Wheelers’ basement.

Elle herself was sitting in her room. She had gotten bored of sleeping and reading, so she decided to take a shower- something she hadn’t done in a few days. She figured it would make her feel better anyways. Wash off Troy’s grubby fingerprints.

Elle turned on the faucet and stripped off her clothes, throwing them lazily onto the floor before stepping into the shower. she pulled the curtain around herself and felt the icy water hit her body as it heated up. She exhaled before taking some shampoo and lathering it into her hair before washing it off. She conditioned as well before taking the soap from the little shelf and scrubbing her body vigorously while trying not to cry. 

She got out of the shower, steam filling the room, and wrapped a towel around her body. Her hair fell just below her collarbone while it was wet, and it came to her shoulders normally. She rubbed the mirror to take some of the condensation off before looking at her reflection. For the first time, she felt insecure. She sighed before abandoning her aimless staring and walking back into her room before sitting on her bed. She slowly took her towel off and put on underwear and a bra before taking her towel and fluffing out her hair. It was a little bit frizzy but she didn’t care. She ran her hands through it before using a brush and letting it air dry after that. she pulled on an oversized t-shirt, courtesy of Jonathan- he gave it to her when she had just been adopted into the Byers family, and laid down on her bed.

She stared at the ceiling before standing up and walking over to her desk. She sat down and pulled a notebook out of her drawer and began to write. She poured all of her emotions into the pages like they were sacred secret-keepers. She wrote about everything- her earliest memories, which were in the lab, getting out, meeting the boys, how she felt about Mike, getting out of the Upside Down, what had happened with Troy, everything. 

Elle had shed a few tears while she wrote but wiped them away in time to hear the house door opening. Confused, she pulled on a pair of shorts and walked into the kitchen to see a woman staring at her through wide eyes.

Elle looked at Joyce, extremely confused, and began to step back before the woman ran straight to her, crashing into the small girl, and hugged her almost as tight as Mike had the night prior. “JANE!” The woman cried, kissing the top of Elle’s head before hugging her again.

Joyce cleared her throat. “This… is your mother, Elle.” She said. Terry turned her head. “Elle?” She asked. Joyce nodded. “A nickname she was given. She loved her nickname, so we went with Elle. Her legal name is Elizabeth Jane Byers.” She explained. Terry cupped her daughter’s cheek. “Such a beautiful name. Oh my god, honey, you’ve grown so much!” She said before hugging her again. Elle was confused, but hugged the woman back.

“Elle, we have a surprise for you. Terry here brought some tapes for us to all watch. They’re from when you were little and still lived with her. Before… before the lab.” Joyce said softly. Elle sat up and tilted her head. “Before?” She asked.

Elle was ultimately confused- she didn’t understand where the woman had come from and she only knew what life was like in the lab. She knew she had to have a mother besides Joyce, as Joyce explained the ‘Birds and the Bees’ to her and she’d understood everything awkwardly. But she accepted it, and the three ladies were soon seated around the Byers’ TV as Joyce popped one of the tapes in.

Little Elle was hobbling around. The video quality was terrible- this was from the 70s, so of course it was. Terry had her arm around Elle, who was watching the video intensely. Little Elle fell over and was laughing softly as she had hit the carpet which was tickling her for some reason.

Most of the videos were milestones. Elle learning how to walk, Elle riding a tricycle around the front yard of the Ives’ home, and a man was in the background of one. A man with white hair.

“Papa.” Elle muttered under her breath, pointing to the TV. “Oh, that was our neighbor, Mr. Brenner. He moved out just after you disappeared. It was tragic.” Terry explained, and everything clicked inside of Elle’s head.

Brenner had known about her all of her life. He’d watched her every move, and when he found an opportunity, he pounced, taking her. He took her childhood away from her. Her family. Her potential friends.

But Elle couldn’t have wanted things to go differently. She didn’t. If they had, she wouldn’t know any of her friends or family. She would’ve just been sitting around with Terry Ives and she honestly didn’t want that.

After a long time of talking, Terry had to return to her own home to take care of her sister, who was ill. Elle said goodbye, and of course Terry teared up. She had agreed to leave a few of the tapes behind for Elle to watch, and she’d happily accepted the offer. 

Elle went back to her room immediately and pulled out the notebook, writing every little detail she’d learned down on the paper. It wasn’t a quality notebook- just a dollar store lined-paper book with a dark blue cover. She was writing her soul into the pages though. The thin, cheap pages. She could’ve cared less though.

Then, another knock was heard on the door. Elle got up to open it and Joyce was there with her. Joyce was the one who ultimately opened the door, but Elle just waited there. The door was flung open by Jennifer, who ran and took Elle into a hug. Elle decided she’d had a lot of hugs that day. Max, Dustin, Lucas, and Larissa also hugged Elle individually before they talked about what they had done. Elle loved the cards, and put them up in her room.

Mike brought the flowers and gave them to her. Elle put them in a vase, also in her room. She had set them next to her bedside table for her to admire. She decided that she loved peonies. 

They proceeded to watch the movies that the others had brought over, Mike with his arm around Elle’s shoulder. Lucas and Max were holding hands while Dustin and Larissa were leaned in close, jumping at every action scene and going crazy when the heroes won and the bad guys were defeated. Will and Jennifer were shyly leaning against eachother with their hands creeping together for the duration of the night.

Elle fell asleep on Mike’s shoulder before Joyce came in and said she’d ordered pizza and that it was there. Mike gently woke her up and she grinned at him before getting up and walking into the kitchen with everyone else. Dustin and Larissa were play-arguing over pizza with pineapple vs pizza without pineapple, while everyone else got their food quietly and returned to the TV. 

The movie was reaching its climax and everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats, especially Mike and Elle, who wanted to see the turnout of the climatic events. Of course, good defeated evil, the hero won, and the villain was sent to jail. Elle was excited as Dustin popped in the second VHS tape- their favorite movie, Ghostbusters.

Will and Jennifer were finally holding hands to nobody’s surprise. In fact, they’d all been waiting for it. They got mercilessly teased by it, but Mike and Elle both left them alone. They were just glad they weren’t the ones being teased for once. Okay- Mike may have slipped in a few moments but he usually got a playful slap on the arm from Elle and an agonized look from Will, which made him laugh.

Jonathan opened the front door and walked in looking rather flustered. Everyone’s heads turned and he was with Nancy, the two were holding hands. He quickly blushed and ran with her into his room. “Sorry!” They heard her say. “I forgot to mention that they’d be over.” And they heard an awkward groan and Nancy’s laugh.

They all just giggled to themselves. Elle turned to Mike. “Why don’t they just open up about it? Everyone knows that they have a thing going on.” She stated, rolling her eyes playfully. He nodded. “Yeah, true. They should really do something soon, otherwise we’ll have to interfere.” He said, pointing to everyone else. Elle giggled and nudged him. “We should give them time, they’ll say something when they’re ready.” She said, and Mike couldn’t say no to her. Her hair was curled in soft, natural waves and her cheeks were glowing. He was just glad to see her happy again, and even if he wanted oh so badly to pester his sister about Jonathan, he decided he could wait. Elle was just too convincing.

Just after the movie ended, everyone crowded into Elle’s room with sleeping bags. Elle had no idea how everyone had convinced their parents to let them sleep over, or why Joyce was letting them all stay. But everyone was on the floor, fitting together like puzzle pieces so that they all made it there with some space. 

After a few people fell asleep, Elle tapped Mike, who was laying on the floor beside her bed, and he opened his eye. He clearly hadn’t fallen asleep in the slightest and she motioned for him to come up with her. So he did. He laid down next to her and held her gently, and they both fell asleep quite quickly after that.


	22. Snowball... fight!

Elle opened her hazel-brown eyes to see Mike snoring softly beside her. Their faces were inches apart, and for a moment, Elle freaked out. She had no idea when he had gotten there, where he came from, or anything. She sat up and saw everyone else sleeping on the floor and remembered the previous night with a small sigh of relief.

She silently climbed over Mike and walked into the kitchen, making herself some cereal. She sat down at the table and waited for someone else to wake up as she ate because she was quite bored. Bubba came bumbling into the room, barking at her, and she hushed him before petting him. Elle picked up his leash and walked outside, bringing him with her.

She walked around for a bit, in the forest, and inhaled the soft winter air. Snow littered the ground, and Elle regretted wearing a pair of shorts. At least she had pulled on a jacket. Elle went back inside after a few minutes and took off Bubba’s leash, hanging it up where it usually was. She pulled on a pair of pants, careful not to wake anybody up, and got her jacket, heading back outside.

Elle’s favorite thing was seeing her breath in the frozen air. The misty smoke-like breath that escaped her lungs every few seconds. She thought it was mystical almost, and was fascinated by it. She saw a few frozen puddles on the ground and remembered that it was ice. So, she carefully stepped over them not to slip and eventually sat down on a frozen chair in the Byers’ yard. They had a bad habit of preparing for winter, but nobody seemed to care. Especially Elle.

She heard the door open and turned to see Max wearing her winter clothes as well. Elle decided that she could never forget Max because of her fiery read hair, and when she walked over and sat down on a chair next to Elle, she smiled and waved. “Morning, Elle. Hey… want to have a snowball fight?” She asked with wide eyes. Elle had heard about these from the boys. “Yes!” She answered excitedly, grinning.

Max smirked back. “Okay, but be careful, I’m on the softball team. I have heavy throws.” She playfully bragged. Elle grinned again and raised an eyebrow. “That just makes it more embarrassing for you when I beat you.” She replied quaintly.

Both girls began to pick up snowballs and throw them at eachother. Max had gloves on while Elle thought her hands were going to freeze off, but they got numb and she had to take a break. Both girl at that point were covered from head to toe in snow and laughing hard.

The two went inside to see everyone else in the kitchen eating breakfast. They took off their outerwear and sat down next to everyone and just laughed softly at eachother the entire time in little giggles.

“Did you two have a snowball fight?” Jennifer asked with a grin. Elle and Max nodded. “Who won?” Will piped up. “I don’t know, I think it was a tie. She’s pretty good at it.” Max said, pointing to Elle. “We should all play on teams. It’s more fun that way.”

So Elle borrowed a pair of Jonathan’s gloves with his permission, and even though they were huge, her hands felt much warmer. Everyone pulled on their jackets and boots and walked outside to get onto teams.

“Okay… girls vs boys!” Max called out and the boys looked at eachother miserably. “What if they beat us?” Lucas asked, embarrassed. Mike patted him on the back. “I guess we need to take one for the team, huh?” He replied. Will chuckled. “Come on, don’t have that mindset. I think he’s just mad because he doesn’t get to be on the same team as his girlfriend.” He teased, and Lucas turned bright red.

While they were talking, the girls had built up a “wall” out of snow and were currently making snowballs to the boys surprise. When Dustin turned around, he got hit in the chest by Larissa, who covered her mouth to hide her laughter. He smirked back at her and threw one, hitting her in the leg. Everyone was full on fighting at that point, throwing snowballs and laughing. 

In the end, Lucas’ assumption was correct: the girls won. They cheered and victoriously headed inside before changing into their indoor clothes yet again and sitting down around the fireplace in the living room to warm up. The boys followed, looking defeated, and sat down with them. Will had his arm slung over Jessica’s shoulders shyly and everyone else was just watching them with little grins.

Finally Dustin and Elle decided to go make everyone hot chocolate. Apparently, Dustin was pretty good at making it, and Elle wanted to learn. The two walked into the kitchen and Elle got the cocoa powder out of the pantry, Dustin getting the milk.

Five minutes later they had a bunch of mugs set up and both were covered in cocoa powder from head to toe as Elle placed marshmallows in each cup after Dustin poured the milk into the powder and mixed it up. They finally took it into the living room and everyone couldn’t help but laugh. When Dustin sat down, Larissa shyly kissed the tip of Dustin’s nose when no one was looking to get some cocoa off of it, and Dustin’s face turned crimson. 

Meanwhile Elle had gone to wash off, and came back wearing leggings and a simple t-shirt. She sat down and Lucas took the opportunity to speak up. “We should play a game or something.” He suggested. They were all bored, and there was nothing better to do, so they all agreed quickly, trying to find a way to entertain themselves. Larissa spoke first. “Truth or dare?” She asked, and the others agreed after not finding any other decent way to eliminate the boredom. 

“Just nothing too vulgar.” Jennifer said, and Max and Elle nodded with her. Mike spoke up. “Hey, and don’t do anything anyone is uncomfortable with. We don’t need any more trauma.” He said, squeezing Elle’s hand. She nodded and everyone else agreed with him. “Yeah,” Lucas began. “If anything makes you uncomfortable, don’t do it. Just say something.” He said, mostly to Elle, but to everyone as well. 

Elle nodded. She knew how these games could go. Last time they played, Elle and Mike were doing seven minutes in heaven. Although Elle loved Mike, she really couldn’t handle that. It was less heartfelt for one, and two, it could get a little intense as Nancy had said one time.

Max went first. “Truth or dare?” Dustin asked, and she thought for a few seconds. “Dare.” She said. “Can you do… a cartwheel in the snow?” He asked. Max huffed. “It’s not gonna be pretty.” She said, beginning to pull on her jacket. “Without a jacket!” Dustin added. Max’s eyes widened. “But it’s sooooo cold!” She whined. He shook his head. “A dare is a dare.” He added with a smirk.

“I’m not gonna say anything because I’m not uncomfortable doing this but Dustin- when it’s your turn, you’re SCREWED.” Max replied, folding her arms. She walked outside and the others followed, standing on the porch and huddling together to keep warm.

Max did a sloppy cartwheel and landed in the powdery snow. Lucas ran over to help her up as she shivered, but when he got there, she shoved some snow down his shirt. Lucas gasped and looked over at her. The redhead was just smirking. He threw some back at her, and then both of them ended up chasing Dustin through the front yard with a handful of snow in their gloved hands. 

Dustin was screaming when the snow hit his bare arms and he immediately ran back inside. Max, Dustin, and Lucas were soaking wet when the snow melted, but it was worth it. Especially for Mike- he had seen Elle giggle again. He knew she was still struggling deep down, but he felt like she was slowly but surely getting better.

Now it was Lucas’ turn since they were going in circular order. “Lucas, truth or dare?” Max asked. He looked over at her. “Truth.” He answered without a second thought. “What’s your biggest fear?” She asked, and he sighed, rolling his eyes. “… Spiders.” He said with a huff and Max chuckled lightly. “Spiders?” She asked, teasing him. Lucas huffed again. “Yeah… they’re creepy!” He defended.

After that it was pretty simple, Elle decided to skip her turn, Larissa had to jump off of the kitchen counter, Mike shared the story of how he accidentally wore Nancy’s bra around the house in 3rd grade because he thought it was a hat. Apparently his parents had taken a picture of him parading around with a bright orange bra on top of his head. 

Joyce walked out of her room, her hair in a tangled mess, still in her pajamas. She saw all of the kids and forgot, just like Elle, what had happened the night prior, but remembered shortly. “Morning… err… afternoon, kids. Want me to fix some lunch?” She asked. Everyone nodded, quite hungry after the snowball fight. 

So, Joyce found herself making sandwiches in the kitchen. When the kids came to eat, they each thanked her. She hugged Will and Elle good morning before getting dressed and rushing off to work as her shift started at 1 and it was 12:30.

Eventually both Jennifer and Dustin had to go back to their houses, and they left shortly after eachother. That left Will, Max, Lucas, Elle, Larissa, and Mike. 

Eventually they got curious and saw a box of tapes sitting beside the TV. Elle had forgotten what they were until Will popped one in and a toddler with curly brown hair was falling back onto a carpet and laughing again. Elle was blushing, embarrassed that her friends were seeing her childhood before the lab.

Mike was grinning and Max was as well. “Oh my god, Elle, you were so cute!” She said, clapping her hands together. “Still are.” said Larissa. “Your hair is so pretty.” She said. Elle wasn’t used to all of the compliments, but accepted them anyways without a problem. 

They watched a few more tapes- Elle learning how to walk, Elle running around, chasing a cat, and then the last one came up after quite a few more. At first everything was black, but Terry was breathing heavily into the camera and when her hand uncovered the lens, it showed Elle sitting in her room, concentrating heavily on something in front of her. And then it lifted. Elle’s nose dripped unnoticeably and she wouldn’t have remembered this anyways, but she was concentrating as hard as she could, her fists curled into tiny balls. There was a stuffed lion about two feet in the air at that point, and Terry sounded frantic. She didn’t interrupt the girl, but Elle heard her step backwards and the toy fell down to the ground.

Elle was too stunned to remember that Larissa and Max were there as well as Lucas, Will, and Mike, who obviously knew about her powers. But the girls? Not a clue.

Max was speechless but Larissa spoke up. “What… what the hell was that?” She asked, fear shining in her brown eyes.

“Shit…” Mike muttered under his breath. Elle gulped and frantically thought about what to do before deciding she should just let it out. She nudged Mike and asked him to explain for her, as she was lost for words.

Mike looked over at her and saw so much fear in her eyes. Joyce had told her not to use her powers around other people, as they would be scared. She understood this now. Mike’s heart shattered when he saw her fear. The pieces of glass that made up his heart were falling, falling to the floor, falling from the sky. But they never hit the ground.

“Elle… was uh… raised differently. She grew up in a lab because… because of those powers, and that's why she doesn't understand certain things. They didn't teach her everything, but they used her sort of like an experiment.” Mike explained, Elle’s trembling hand holding his steady one. Will nodded. “She saved my life a few years ago. There was this whole thing with another dimension- the Upside Down, and a monster- the demogorgon, and Elle killed it and found me in the Upside Down. She helped my mom and Chief Hopper find me, and she sacrificed herself.” He explained. Larissa’s hand was covering her mouth while Max’s jaw had dropped. 

Lucas spoke up next. “She can do pretty incredible things. Like… when we were all together in 1983, she flipped a van that was about to hit us when we were running from lab people, and she also made Troy Harrington piss himself.” He said.

Larissa was biting her lip to keep from laughing while Max spoke up. “Wait, that was you?!” She asked, giggling. Elle nodded, still not smiling though. She was thinking about Troy now, and the flashback felt so real. Eventually she just got up and said something ever so quietly. “I’m going to go shower.” She said, her voice shaking like an earthquake. Mike looked at her, worriedly, but she just turned and walked into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. 

She never actually showered, just curled up into a tiny ball inside the dry bathtub, crying her eyes out while Will, Mike, and Lucas explained everything to the girls. “You can tell Jennifer, but NOBODY else. They can’t know, or something bad might happen to Elle.” Lucas had said, and Max and Larissa promised to keep Elle’s powers a secret.

Eventually the girls left and Mike knocked on the bathroom door. Elle unlocked it and he said nothing, just hugged her. “It’s okay.” He muttered, and she pressed her head against his shoulder. He was a lot taller than her, and her head was up to his chin. Their bodies managed to separate and Elle joined Will and Lucas in the living room. 

Will and Lucas saw the tears that had just dried on Elle’s face and both walked over to her. Soon, they were all in a group hug with Mike too, and Elle felt like she was surrounded by home. She knew what it felt like to be surrounded by the cold, and she had warmth now. Her friends, Mike, her family, it was like a drug, and she was hooked. 

She could feel the fabric of their shirts, the softness and roughness of their skin, and she could feel their eyes pressing on the barrier of her soul. She felt like they were there for hours but when everyone pulled away, the time seemed to shrink into minutes.

She wiped her tears and blew her nose before sitting back down next to the boys and resting her head on Mike’s shoulder. She felt happy there- it was her comfort place. Sitting next to him in her living room with her head on his shoulder, watching a movie with him and their friends. So that’s what Elle decided home felt like. It didn’t necessarily have to be a house with a white picket fence, it was wherever you felt safest. Elle felt like home was with her friends and Mike.

The movie ended and Lucas finally went home, as his mother had called at the perfect timing. He said goodbye to everyone and left, leaving Will, Elle, and Mike. Will spoke up. “Hey, Elle, could I talk to Mike in private for a second?” He asked. Elle looked up and nodded politely before leaving. She carefully closed her door and sat down. She’d had her fair share of eavesdropping moments and felt like it would be rude to listen in.

“Mike,” Will began. “you haven’t, uh… done it, with Elle, right?” He asked nervously. The other boy’s eyes widened and his face turned three shades redder. “No!” He denied. “I mean she’s great and all and maybe someday? But for now, hell no.” Mike answered and Will laughed a little bit. “Good. I can tell she’s not ready.” He said, and Mike agreed. “Especially after that Troy scare. God… I wouldn’t have wished that on anyone. Elle’s been through way too much for her age.” He murmured, and Mike nodded softly, looking down.

“Oh my god,” Will said, his face suddenly brightening. “Elle’s never had a Christmas!” Mike grinned. “You’re right! She left right before the last one… We’ll have to surprise her.” he said, and Will agreed.

It hit Mike then. He took so much for granted. Being able to wake up in a warm bed, with his family, go to school, have friends, everything like that, for 12 years. Elle never got any of that. She got raised in a laboratory where they treated like an animal and ultimately gave herself up to save them, because she’d never had friends, and when she realized how much they meant to her, she did it to save them. He’d had other friends, of course, but little acquaintances now and then, nothing like Will, Lucas, and Dustin. And Elle. 

Elle’s only friend wasn’t even her friend. He was a scumbag with white hair that Mike found out used to live down the street from Dustin. He was a monster that met his match with the demogorgon like he deserved. And if Elle had opened the gate, Mike realized, it was probably under his command. Mike was glad that Martin Brenner was dead. 

Meanwhile Elle was as confused as ever. She’d never met her father, just her mother. She didn’t know if she had siblings like Mike or Will, or if she had been an only child. She didn’t know if Brenner had known about her powers for her entire life or if he had just found out one day and watched her. She hated the idea of him stalking her family for years, but she wasn’t very attached to them anyways. Elle felt no connection to Terry Ives. She felt like that made her heartless, but it was only how she felt. She hadn’t seen her in years, and the time they spent together was one-sided and awkward. She felt like the Byers were her family, and the Wheelers, Sinclairs, and Hendersons. She may have had no biological ties to any of them, but they were her home.

Eventually Will knocked on the door and Elle came outside with a gentle gaze. She’d been absorbed in her thoughts until he knocked, and she sat back down on the floor next to Mike. “So, Elle, are you feeling better?” Will asked with a look of genuine concern in his eyes. She nodded, smiling at him. “Yes. I just needed a moment to collect myself.” She muttered. 

Elle was tired to be honest. She’d barely done anything that day, and it was only halfway over, yet it had been so straining. So she waited for someone to say something, and her wish was granted milliseconds later. “Hey, Elle, do you know what Christmas is?” Will asked, and Elle shook her head. 

Will began to explain everything he knew about Christmas. With presents and Santa Claus, which he told Elle was fake, of course, Church, and the religious ties. Elle was overwhelmed. She decided that she loved holidays though. They were fun to celebrate. She asked if there were any other holidays, like Halloween and Christmas, and they began to spill out every holiday they could think of.

“Oh, and there’s New Year’s, where you count down from 10 right before it becomes January 1.” Said Mike. 

“Don’t forget about Valentine’s Day!” Will replied, explaining that holiday as well. Elle was taking in so much information, and it was very confusing, but she dealt with it and kept her calm. Her brain felt like it was literally stretching to make room for all of the new topics she was learning.

“There’s also Easter, and Labor Day, and MLK Day, and the 4th of July, and Independence Day,” Began Mike before Will quickly stopped him with a laugh.

“Mike, Independence Day and the 4th of July are the same thing.” He chuckled, and Mike blushed after realizing he’d just embarrassed himself in front of Elle. Even though they’d known eachother for what felt like forever, he still got butterflies every time he saw her, and blushed when they’d kiss, hug, or hold hands. She made him feel like a kid again, and he loved it and hated it at the same time.

He hadn’t realized he’d fallen for her until he had hit the ground, and it was a slippery slope for a 13 year old. He just decided to trust his instincts in the end. If it was meant to be, it would be.

And it was.


	23. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

The snowfall hadn’t stopped since the night of the dance. It had taken little breaks, but it was that time in Hawkins where the snow just kept falling down. Elle decided that she loved winter, even though it was quite cold. She enjoyed the way the windows fogged up and she could draw little shapes on the glass, and how the snowflakes were all different.

It was now December 24, 1983. Elle was excited for her first Christmas. Everyone was at the Wheelers’ house for their annual Christmas Party, which Mike hated and Nancy loved. Elle was wearing a red dress and black flats, while Joyce was wearing a purple dress with kitten heels. Will and Jonathan had to wear tuxes, and so did the other boys. Elle thought it was quite funny seeing them all complain about how fancy they looked.

When the Byers arrived, Jonathan parked the car in front of their house and rang the doorbell. Karen answered and welcomed them inside. “The boys are in the basement.” Karen told Elle, who nodded after greeting her. “Thank you.” Elle said before heading down to the basement where the boys were waiting. She walked down the stairs and their heads turned.

“Hey Elle!” Dustin said with his smile. Elle smiled back. “Hey guys.” She greeted. Elle sat down next to Mike and Will sat down on her other side, excitedly looking at the board in front of them. “Did you finish the new campaign?” Will asked, and Mike sighed, looking down. “I hate to be the one to tell you this but… it’s finished!” He answered with a smile. Dustin and Lucas remembered this, it was similar to Mr. Clarke’s approach on the Heathkit Hamshack’s arrival. 

Mike grinned and pulled out his binder, getting ready to start, when Will spoke up. “What ever happened to that campaign with the princess and the knight and the cave of flowers?” He asked suddenly. “You’re gonna find out tonight.” Mike said, smiling. “It took me three weeks to plan, but I think you guys are gonna love it.”

After about half an hour, Karen knocked on the basement wall in the stairwell. “Boys, time to come upstairs!” She said, and then everyone scrambled up to the living room for Karen’s annual Christmas Dinner. According to Dustin, it was one of the best dinners of the year, and Karen’s cooking was fantastic.

So they all sat, crowded, around the table, and ate roast beef and had pie. Once dinner was finished, the boys and Elle scrambled back down the stairs to go through with the campaign. Mike snuck down some soda and snacks, he knew that they’d be down there for a while. He also figured he’d be lucky if they got any sleep that night, but he knew how to get around his mom’s ridiculous bedtimes. 

Lucas was waiting impatiently at that point for Mike to get on with the campaign. “Come on, Mike!” He hustled, and Mike rolled his eyes, sitting down. “Okay, okay. So, it seems like a normal day. The sky is blue and the birds are chirping, but then it hits you. It’s too quiet. It’s too normal. There’s suddenly a crashing noise in the distance. Who will go investigate?” Mike asked, and the boys thought to themselves before Dustin offered.

“I’ll go.” He volunteered and Lucas looked over at him. “Are you sure? What if its the Tiamat?” He asked, and Dustin thought for a second. “I can cast protection. It’ll be fine.” Dustin reassured. 

Mike looked over at everyone before looking into Dustin’s eyes. “You creep forward into the underbrush, sword drawn. You feel your heart beat get faster. All of a sudden, the crashing stops, but in front of you lays the dungeon. Do you enter?” 

Dustin bit his lip to think. “Maybe it’s just a troll?” He suggested. “I don’t know.” Will shrugged. Dustin made up his mind. “Yes, I enter.” He said. Mike nodded carefully, watching Dustin. He looked over at Elle, who was sitting on the edge of her seat, and smiled. 

“You walk into the chamber and look back. The others are standing at the entrance. Do they enter as well?” Mike asked, raising his brow. Elle thought it was adorable when he did that.

Will looked over at Lucas. “I’m not leaving him in there alone.” He said. “I’ll enter as well.”

Lucas sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll enter too.” He said nervously. “But if anything happens, it’s your fault.” He said, nudging Will, who rolled his eyes afterwards. “Whatever, Lucas.” He joked. 

Mike looked around at the others. “You all carefully step into the dungeon with your weapons ready for an attack. Suddenly the crashing noise is heard again, but the sun is setting outside. Do you leave a guard to watch for monsters coming to take shelter in the dungeon or continue forward in a group?”

“If we leave a guard, that would make two of us, and if it’s a big monster, like the thessalhydra, we should stay in numbers.” Dustin suggested. “But if we don’t leave a guard, something could come in and have us trapped in the dungeon!” Lucas fired back.

Elle was thinking too. “Stay together.” She said quietly, and the others looked over at her. “But what if something gets in?” Lucas asked. “You can fight it together. But if something big is up in the dungeon tower, you’ll get crushed if there’s only two of you. So, you should stick together.” She strategized. Mike’s mouth was wide open. He’d never seen her truly interact in D&D, and he was glad to see her starting to get more and more into it. She noticed and smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“She has a point.” Will said, and Dustin was nodding. “Fine.” Lucas muttered, crossing his arms in defeat. He never liked being wrong, or being corrected, but the boys and Elle were the only ones who could put him in his place. Whenever another kid at their school would say something that Lucas disagreed with, he’d fire back with his own opinion quite quickly.

As Mike continued with the story, Elle watching, Nancy and Jonathan were upstairs talking in her room.

“So… Jon, I wanted to ask you something.” Nancy said, biting her lip. He looked over at her nervously, thinking she wanted to break up with him. “Yeah, Nance?” He asked, and she sighed. “What are we going to do about college? We’re both juniors, my mom has already had me start to apply for schools, and what happens if we don’t get into any of the same ones?” She asked. He smiled and stroked her cheek with his hand. “

We’ll figure it out. I’ll be here wherever you are, Nancy Wheeler.” He said.

“I love you, Jonathan Byers.” She murmured, pressing her forehead against his. “I love you more.” He whispered before kissing her gently. Nancy was blushing in the lazy lighting and Jonathan was too, but not as much. He didn’t really blush around her any more because he had gotten so comfortable.

Meanwhile, Nancy got butterflies every time she saw him. Sometimes she’d feel like she’d faint when he walked over to her, and when they held hands she felt his skin press against hers. And when they had sex- Nancy felt like she was on cloud nine.

She felt like he deserved better than her. She was just a lonely girl who had lost her only friend. She was a nerd and barely knew anyone before she had dated Steve. Now everyone knew her name- but for all of the wrong reasons.

The rumors had started right when Nancy had gotten back to school, which had been closed for an extra week to repair any and all damage done to both the High and Middle. They’d been terrible, and Nancy was usually found crying in the girls’ bathroom near the school exit. She’d started to get worse grades and was less attentive in class, which people had noticed.

“I bet she killed her.”

“Fat bitch probably killed herself.”

“Having a friend like Nancy Wheeler? Hah, I’d want to be dead too.”

“Didn’t Carol say they were lesbian for eachother?”

“Lesbo freak.”

Nancy heard these, among many other whispers, as she walked down the hallway. She wanted to punch everyone who said anything bad about Barb. She’d known about her best friend’s sexuality for a few months, and it was almost obvious at times. The way she’d stare at one of the girls in their history class. The way she’d get nervous whenever she walked by.

Nancy knew it, Barb knew it, and apparently everyone in the school knew it too. Nancy wasn’t homophobic in any way, shape, or form. In fact, she supported Barb fully. She realized that some people didn’t, though, and it irked her to the core.

Since Barb’s death, several hate crimes had been committed. By Carol, Tommy H, and their minions, but never by Steve. He had been by her side, but eventually had seemingly gotten tired of it. He’d left her, metaphorically, and she knew he was flirting with other girls. Hence why she broke up with him.

But they’d rip up rainbow flags and put them infront of Barb’s locker, which was decorated after her death. They’d write threatening notes and spread rumors, and Nancy would just take anything negative down every single day after school when she went by Barb’s locker. 

Jonathan had noticed and the two started to talk even more. He’d been there for her, when nobody else was. He’d helped her find Elle, who found out that Barb was dead, and she owed him for that. After the hate crimes stopped, they had no reason to hang out at all. But Nancy enjoyed his company, so she’d always stay around with him. Chats in the halls on the way to class turned into lunch together, and that turned into hanging out after school. Eventually they couldn’t hide their feelings any more, and it was obvious really, that they had something going on.

So, after Nancy dumped Steve, she came to Jonathan. He wanted her, and she wanted him, and that’s how it all began. Nancy regretted none of it, and neither did Jonathan. They were officially dating, and they didn’t care who knew. They held hands in the hallways and kissed in public. Once Tommy H had even tried to re-graffiti the movie theatre board to write another message but had been caught in the act, and one student had been given death glares by him every day in the hallway for a month.

But they were going to graduate the next year, and it was nerve racking. Jonathan didn’t want to leave Elle or Will alone. He knew his mother had gotten better, but not that much, and he felt like she still needed help taking care of them. With Will- he’d always been protective of his younger brother, and didn’t want to leave him alone again. When he’d been gone for that one week, Jonathan felt guilty that he couldn’t be there even moment of every day when he was recovering, but he had to go to school. As for Elle, he just didn’t want to leave her at all. She was a sweet girl and he felt bad to leave her just as soon as she’d come into the family. Plus, he wanted to protect her from the world. Something about her just seemed helpless, and he felt like it was his job to keep her safe. When she had been nearly raped by Troy Harrington, Jonathan took the blame, but everyone did. He felt like he should’ve been outside and seen her get dragged out into the woods by him. Jonathan was almost always outside, especially with school events. He didn’t like staying indoors with everyone else, but this time, he was with Nancy, and had been distracted. 

But all of that was over now, and he was worried about graduation. He hadn’t even thought of starting to apply for schools, and apparently, Nancy was way ahead of him. She was nervous as well. Although she wasn’t as protective of her brother and little sister, she was still worried. Nancy knew that Mike could handle himself, and she wasn’t even worried about Holly because she was too young to get into that kind of trouble, but he did do stupid things at times and she wanted to be there for him. They had a closer bond since November 1983, and she didn’t want to lose it when she left for college, but she knew he wouldn’t break it. Plus, she secretly wanted to make sure he wasn’t screwing things up with Elle. She knew how the girl felt about her brother, and how he felt about her, but Mike was only 13, and Nancy knew he was bound to end up doing something stupid.

Meanwhile, Dustin, Lucas, and Will were aimlessly wandering towards the crashing noise in the tower and Elle was cringing at every bad move they made. She knew what was going on, and Mike knew it as well. She was a lot smarter than he had thought, and inquired things quite quickly. But then Karen knocked on the stairwell as she always did and told the boys and Elle that it was time for them to go home. Mike sighed but agreed, since it was Christmas Eve and all, and told everyone that they’d continue the next day. “I can’t come over until after 12, that’s when my church service ends.” Lucas said, and Mike nodded. “Okay. What about everyone else?” He asked. Will shrugged. “I think we’re going to the early service at 8, so we’re fine.” He said, nudging Elle. Dustin shrugged as well. “I think mine ends at 10.”

None of them were very religious. Lucas’ parents were, and so he went to church and youth group every Sunday and Wednesday. As for the others, they only really went to church on holidays like Easter and Christmas. As for Dustin, he had his church service and later when to Temple. Dustin’s mother was Jewish and his father was Christian, so he celebrated Hanukkah as well as Christmas. 

So, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Elle climbed up the stairs with Mike trailing behind them, mostly to say goodbye to Elle. Joyce was waiting upstairs, and everyone was surprised to see Hopper with his… arm around her?

Will’s mouth hung open. “Mom?” He asked, and Joyce’s head turned very quickly. “Oh, uh, Will!” She said awkwardly, her eyes wide. The kids all saw Hop’s hand retreat back to his side. “Alright, time to go, it was nice to see you all!” Joyce replied and quickly hurried out the door. Jonathan came downstairs to follow, and Mike hugged Elle and told her he’d see her the next day. He and Will said goodbye and the Byers left. Next, Dustin and Lucas left, and then it was just the Wheelers left in their own house.

Mike was frequently lonely. When he was home by himself, he rarely had fun. Sometimes he’d play with Holly because his mom said so, or chat with Nancy about trouble he was having in class or with his friends. But he did come to realize that Nancy would be graduating in a year and he’d be all by himself. He had Holly, of course, but he had nothing to do with her. She was a 4 year old who only wanted to play princess all the time, and Mike obviously had more important things to do. Besides, he could always call Lucas on his Supercom when he was bored.

He found it funny that in the week that Elle had come, the group had been closer and farther apart than ever. In the end, they spent even more time together, and she brought them closer than they had been before. They shared all of their secrets now, and everything that was said in the group stayed in the group. Speaking of groups…

Joyce was looking at options for therapy. She didn’t want to put Elle in group therapy, as she knew the girl didn’t like certain social situations, and she probably wouldn’t open up about all of her trauma to a group of strangers. However, Joyce knew a good therapist to call- the same one who had taken care of Joyce just after her divorce with Lonnie.

Elle didn’t know what therapy was, but she’d be finding out soon enough. Joyce figured it would be best to have her speaking with someone and opening up instead of bottling everything up inside of her, especially after the night of the Snowball. So, Joyce found herself sitting on her chair, with the telephone in her lap like it had been all those months ago, while Elle, Will, and Jonathan were asleep.

“Hello?” A groggy woman asked on the other side of the line. “Hi, this is Joyce Byers.” She replied and the woman yawned. “Hi, Joyce, is everything alright?” She asked. “Dr. Bowman, hi, I’m doing fine but my daughter just had some recent trauma and I was wondering if I could schedule an appointment as soon as possible?” She asked. Joyce heard Dr. Bowman’s pen click and a few scribbles. “Joyce, you didn’t tell me you had a daughter, but of course, I’m open on January 3rd. That’s the soonest. I have an opening at… 10 am and 3 pm.” She noted. Joyce sighed. “She’s adopted. From… foster care.” She fibbed. “I’ll see you then at 10 am.” She noted, and the woman repeated the date and time under her breath as she scribbled more information down on her notepad.

“So, what kind of trauma?” Dr. Bowman asked. Joyce sighed, her voice becoming shaky. “Sexual assault and abuse.” She muttered and the doctor replied with an ‘mmhmm’. “Alright, well, I’ll see you on the 3rd. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, Joyce.” 

Joyce put the phone back up and walked over into Elle’s room. She smiled when she saw the girl fast asleep, curled up under her covers. The mother walked over and planted a kiss on top of Elle’s forehead before closing the door ever so lightly. She walked back into the living room and took the gifts she’d gotten for her kids out of the closet where she always hid them. For some reason, they’d never figured it out.

She placed them under the tree, and each one had a tag on it to state whose it was. She couldn’t wait for Elle’s first Christmas. She was sure Elle would love it. 

Elle couldn’t have agreed more. It was an excellent morning. She woke up about ten minutes after Will, who had run in, tapping her obnoxiously to wake her up. She managed to get up after a few minutes and yawned, looking at him through tired eyes. “Come on, we get to open presents!” He said excitedly and she smiled softly, getting up and walking into the kitchen to get breakfast. Joyce put a cinnamon roll on her plate next to a cup of milk and she ate it quickly, loving the taste. Finally she joined Will and an also tired Jonathan in the living room before a box was shoved into her hands by Will. “We all saved up to get you this. Hope you like it!” He said quickly. Elle shyly opened the gift to see a Supercom of he own. She smiled. “To talk to everyone.” She said, and Will nodded.

In the end, Jonathan got a better camera and a crap ton of film, Elle got some hair clips and a book as well as the Supercom, and Will got an Atari as well as some games. Oh, and Jonathan gave everyone mixtapes.

Will taught Elle how to use the Supercom before they headed to church. Elle was wearing a royal blue dress and black flats, while the boys wore tuxes. Joyce wore a white dress and they all left. 

Church was quite boring to Elle. She liked to hear the stories of Jesus and the star and the wisemen and so on so forth, but it got tiring after a while of endless preaching. Finally, they all had to stand up and sing hymns. Elle wasn’t a great singer, but she enjoyed it. When they left, Elle went to go test out the Supercom. She got onto the usual channel, 6, and spoke to Mike for a few minutes before she and Will biked over to his house. They changed into regular clothes first, of course.

Jonathan followed them about an hour later in his car to see Nancy. When they all arrived at the Wheelers’, Mike was waiting. Elle and Will followed him down into the basement where they watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and eventually Lucas and Dustin got there. So, the campaign was started again, and they began right where they left off.

It was another hour of pointless wandering in the dungeon before something happened. “Suddenly a small group of trolls charge out of nowhere! They have you cornered. What’s your action, Will?”

“Fireball!” Will panicked and rolled the dice. “14!” He cheered and Elle smiled. “The trolls try to get to you but fail. They’re burnt to a crisp and you can hear their shriveling cries die down with the fire. You move forward into the dungeon.” Mike said elusively with his mysterious voice. Elle giggled softly when he tried to imitate the dying noise of the trolls. 

“Reeeeeeeeeeigckh” Mike managed to get out, and Elle laughed a bit louder, as well as everyone else. “That was a close one.” Dustin said breathlessly. The boys were getting themselves mentally prepared to keep going through the dungeon.

“Okay… so should we go into the tallest tower? Hey, that might be where the knight and princess are! But what about the cave of flowers?” Will was inquiring. Mike shook his head. “Not yet. That’ll be in the next campaign. But come on, you’ve got to decide.” He said.

The day went by quickly, and they all ate lunch and dinner at the Wheelers’ before Mike begged Karen to let them sleep over. “Fine, but only because it’s Christmas break and you supposedly spent such a long time on this campaign. But don’t expect to have them all sleep over on New Year’s!” Karen said, and Mike nodded quickly.

So, the campaign finished at around 3 am, and if Karen had known she would’ve freaked out. Gladly, she didn’t. She had fallen asleep after tucking Holly in and forgotten to tell the kids to go to bed, so they all stayed up. Even Jonathan and Nancy were still sitting in the living room, chatting and sipping hot chocolate together, with Jonathan’s arm around Nancy’s shoulders.

Will was the first to fall asleep, just before Elle and Mike. Dustin and Lucas managed to fall asleep after them, and they all woke up at around 11 in the morning, tired as could be. When Karen had woken them up, she frowned. “You all went to bed at 10, right?” She asked with her ‘you better not be lying to me’ look. Mike nodded, as did everyone else. “Yes, Mrs. Wheeler.” Elle answered politely. “Yeah.” Said Dustin awkwardly.

So they ate brunch and Elle and Will went home. However, the holidays weren’t over and Elle couldn’t wait until her first New Year’s. She’d heard about a New Year’s Kiss and such from Nancy, and she knew just who she wanted to give hers to. Of course, Mike.

He was thinking about similar things. Time spent with Elle was unmeasurable, but now he could put a mark on it. It had already been one year since she’d first arrived into his heart in Mirkwood, but her first New Year’s? That was going to be special.

The day came and everyone crowded around the TV. Mrs. Henderson had agreed to let them all sleep over at their house, and Elle was as excited as she could be. There were several parties going on around town. Mr. and Mrs. Henderson were at one with the other parents held at Karen’s house- it was annual. Nancy and Jonathan were at one held by one of their peers. Mike, Elle, Lucas, Dustin, and Will were just sitting in the Henderson’s house watching the New Year’s show and eating chips out of a bowl.

“Ten!

Nine!

Eight!

Seven!

Six!

Five!

Four!

Three!

Two!

One!” The kids screamed and Elle tilted her head, taking Mike into an unsuspecting kiss. Of course, he wanted to kiss her, but didn’t expect her to do it first. He blushed and so did she, and they could hear Dustin whooping over the noise of the crowd cheering on the TV.

Elle loved the holidays.


	24. The Blizzard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long-ass chapter because I haven't posted in a few days. Enjoy! <3

The next day was quite uneventful. The kids woke up late, Nancy woke up on the floor with Jonathan hanging off of the bed, Karen woke up with Ted sleeping in the La-Z-Boy for the tenth time within the past two weeks, and Joyce woke up… in Hopper’s bed?!

Joyce looked around and saw her clothes and his clothes on the floor. She panicked, quickly dressing herself and writing a note. She had no idea what had gone on the past night, but figured she’d been pretty tipsy.

“Hop,

Left for work. What about your wife?!

Joyce”

She left quickly, she had to get home. She remembered that Will and Elle were at the Hendersons’, but she had no idea where Jonathan was. She figured he was at home. So, the unsuspecting Joyce walked into her home after unlocking the door and went to go see if Jonathan was home. So, she opened his door and let out a startled yelp to see him laying on the floor, naked, halfway on the bed, halfway on top of Nancy Wheeler.

He woke up, she woke up, and both screamed slightly before covering themselves. “Mom!” Jonathan said, panicking. “H… hi, Mrs. Byers.” Nancy said awkwardly, looking down. 

“Come see me in the living room in ten. Get dressed.” Joyce said awkwardly, leaving the crime scene. Nancy and Jonathan awkwardly pulled on their clothes and gave eachother a look of pleading panic. 

So, they both hesitantly walked into the living room and Joyce pointed to the sofa where the couple sat. “First of all, congratulations if you two are a couple.” Joyce began. “If you’re not a couple, this is going to be very awkward for a very long time, understand?”

Both kids nodded before Jonathan spoke. “Mom… we… we are dating.” He said, scratching the back of his head. Joyce smiled, surprisingly, and clapped her hands together. “I knew it! Good thing, too, I thought you had a thing for Cheryl Henry, and that wouldn’t turn out well.” She said with a sigh. Nancy looked at Jonathan and back at Joyce. “So… it’s okay that we’re dating?” She asked hesitantly. Joyce chuckled. “Of course it is! Just make sure to tell your parents, alright Nancy? You always have a place in this home.” She said, and got up to give both Nancy and Jonathan a hug. The two kids just looked at eachother, quite confused. “All I ask is that you do it today. How long has this been going on?” Joyce asked. Jonathan gulped. “A few… a few months.” He said, shifting his gaze. His mother sighed. “Tell them today.” She said, and got up.

So, that’s how Nancy and Jonathan awkwardly sauntered into his car and drove to the Wheelers’ to break the news. When they pulled up, Nancy remembered that Mike, Elle, Will, Dustin, and Lucas were all at the Hendersons’ and sighed with relief, realizing that they wouldn’t have to explain that they were dating around their younger siblings.

So, Nancy snuck inside through her window and Jonathan knocked on the door. Karen answered. “Hello, Jonathan. Did Joyce leave something over here?” she asked. He shook his head. “No, I was just wondering if I could speak with you and Mr. Wheeler?” He asked. She frowned from confusion. “Alright. I’ll go get him.” She said.

So Nancy and Jon sat in the living room, awkwardly holding hands. They didn’t even bother to pull away when Karen and Ted arrived. “Mom… I’m uh… I’m going out with Jonathan now.” Nancy said with a red face. Karen smiled. “That’s great honey!”

Ted just frowned, like usual, and looked away. “Is that all?” He asked, uninterested. Karen jabbed him in the ribs and he huffed. “Ow!” He snapped and looked back at the kids. “Wait… Byers?” He said with slight disgust. Jonathan just got up and so did Nancy. “I think I should leave.” He said, gritting his teeth lightly. He could tell that Ted wasn’t going to approve any time soon. “Yes, you should.” Ted replied.

So Jonathan walked off into his car and quickly left, leaving Nancy to spit fire at her father. “What is wrong with you?! He’s a great person and he’s never done anything wrong!” She said through tears and Ted huffed. “I don’t want you around him! He’s a bad influence!” He replied. Karen intervened. “Ted, you don’t even know him. Give him a chance!” She spat, and that left Ted silent. “Excuse me?” He asked gruffly.

“You heard me, Ted. This has been going on way too long. You’ve judged everyone. Elle, Will, all of Mike’s friends, even Nancy’s! And now you’re judging Jonathan Byers! He hasn’t done anything to you, Ted. Nothing.” 

“I just want what’s best for our daughter!” He said gruffly. “Oh yeah?” Karen snapped. “Since when? Because last I checked you were convinced that Nancy and Mike weren’t helping Elle, that the government was on our side, and that there was nothing to worry about when both of our children plus their friends could’ve died!” She yelled. Ted stepped back. “Is this how you feel, Karen?” He asked.

She was catching her breath and calming down. “Yes, Ted. It is.”

“Fine.” He said. “I’ll leave when the kids are back in school.” Ted huffed and turned around. Karen felt a sense of pride but also a hurt. She’d finally gotten out of the toxic marriage she had been wanting to escape for years but at the same time, she’d known Ted for many. She felt bad having him leave, but honestly, she only really felt bad for the kids.

When Karen Wheeler was 5 years old, her father walked out. He never said goodbye, he just left. Karen didn’t really notice, nor did she care. She had a great mother. She dated around, and eventually Karen got a step-father. Besides, he left when she was so young that she got used to it. But she had a 17 year old girl, a 13 year old boy, and a 4 year old. She wasn’t worried about Holly, she probably wouldn’t notice anything out of place. As for Mike and Nancy, it was different. Neither were very close to their father. Both used to be for a while, and Ted was the one who got uninterested as time went by. It was like he was another child for Karen to take care of sometimes. He went to work, he came home, she cooked for him, cleaned for him, everything. Sometimes he didn’t even thank her. Sometimes he’d yell at her for doing things wrong.

But Karen didn’t know what would happen when her children would get home one day to find their father nowhere to be seen. 

Meanwhile, Mike, Elle, Lucas, Will, and Dustin were all planning on going out to the firework store since everything would be on sale. After all, it was the day after New Year’s and nobody even needed fireworks, but the kids figured they’d just have some fun. 

“Isn’t that illegal?” Will had asked. Dustin shook his head. “Not if we get the small ones.” He said with a shrug. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” He said, nudging his friend. 

They walked down stairs and got their food before taking a seat around Dustin’s rectangular kitchen table where they all ate their breakfast quite quickly. They wanted to get to the firework stand before the rowdy high schoolers got there. 

While they clambered onto their bikes, Dustin grinned. “Mike, remember when you came to my cousin’s lake house with me last summer and we almost lit a tree on fire?” He asked, and Mike rolled his eyes before laughing. “It was so funny! Your mom got so mad though.” He replied and the group proceeded to bike off towards the familiar street-stand. It was rather hard to bike through the snow, so they avoided it and took the road instead.

The old man who always worked there saw the kids approached. “Dustin!” He called out and the boy gave him a wave. “Morning, Mr. Dabney!” He replied and came up to the stand with his wallet. After a few minutes of talking, Dustin carried a paper bag full of small fireworks over to the others. “Come on, let’s go. The police usually patrol this area at 10, but they haven’t come by yet.” He said.

Will’s eyes widened. “So this is illegal?!” He asked nervously. “We shouldn’t get involved in this.” He muttered. Dustin shook his head. “It’s not illegal if we don’t get caught, duh. Everyone knows that.” He said with a matter-of-fact tone. 

They decided to go by the quarry because it would have the best view. Even if the fireworks were tiny, they could still start fires, so Dustin had figured the quarry would be best for the view as well as the clarity. there weren’t any trees by the cliff, and the most concerning thing they had to face was having ashes littering the lake below them. 

So, Dustin pulled a small lighter out of his pocket which he had taken from his kitchen. His father smoked cigarettes, everyone did really, and no one had noticed. The Hendersons’ house was full of lighters, similar to the Byers. Mike had warned Elle that there would be lights and loud noises, and she had nodded. 

Elle didn’t expect the noises to be as loud as they were, and when the first small firework went off, she grabbed Mike’s hand instinctively. She blushed after realizing what she had done and he had seen this, and just smiled softly, gripping her soft-skinned hand in his. He squeezed hers before the second one went off. The kids were huddling together in the cold and Mike and Elle were extremely close. They had walked to the quarry and had left their bikes near the road since they couldn’t get through the snowy woods on them.

Eventually, the fireworks were gone, except for a few Dustin had gotten to stash for whenever he felt like they’d next need fireworks. So, they headed back through the frosty woods to get their bikes and go back to their houses, as they had decided they’d better go back home before the snowfall got any more intense. However, Mike was going to the Byers with Will and Elle, and the two siblings as well as the Wheeler boy were excited about this.

Of course, there was a possibility that they’d get snowed in: Hawkins had an annual blizzard that came in after the usual snowfall, which would turn off the power for a few days and it would be too cold to go outside, and Mike was secretly hoping it would happen during that night so that he’d have an excuse to be with Elle for a few days straight. His mother wouldn’t like it, but if he did get snowed in, there wouldn’t be anything she could do.

After saying goodbye to Lucas, Elle, Will, Dustin, and Mike biked off towards the Byers home. Dustin was coming with them since his house was on the way. So, he went back to his house after waving goodbye to the Byers siblings and Mike, and turned into his driveway. 

Will turned to Mike. “Hey, what if the snowfall hits? You could be stuck at our house.” He noted. Mike smirked and looked over at him. “That’s kind of the point. Besides, my mom won’t care. Worst case, she’ll just call on the phone to make sure I’m okay. There’s no way I’m about to be locked in with Nancy, Holly, and my parents. Nooooo way.” Mike said with a chuckle. Elle giggled softly as well, which made Mike’s heard soar. Her little laughs, even if they were sometimes rare, could brighten his day amidst any circumstance. 

So they walked into the house and sat down around the TV where Will had his Atari set up. Will had Frogger, Pac-Man, and Star Wars. Both Mike and Elle were excited to show her how the games worked, and they were sure she’d love them. They’d never taken her to the arcade in town where they used to go a lot, but now that Will had his own Atari, they didn’t have to. Usually, they’d use Dustin’s, but this was even more convenient. 

So, Will and Mike agreed on showing Elle Pac-Man first, as it was quite classic, and would be for decades. She hesitantly began playing and eventually did very well, and the boys were surprised at her skill. She gave Mike a grin when she saw his confused face and then it was his turn. It was obvious that he was trying to impress her, and he wasn’t failing. She was looking on excitedly as he maneuvered the joystick and, although he didn’t beat her score, she still smiled widely at him, and that smile was worth more than a million dollars to him.

After an hour of taking turns on the Atari, Joyce walked in. “Oh, Mike! I didn’t expect to see you here… shouldn’t you be at your house? The blizzard is scheduled for tonight.” She said, looking over at the boy sitting next to her children. He nodded. “Well, I came over earlier and forgot, but I think it might be safer if I stay here, because if it starts snowing while I’m on my way home I’ll be stuck out in the blizzard.” He noted, which got a quick nod from Joyce. “Oh, oh course! I’ll call your mother and let her know you’re over here. Would you guys like any snacks?” Joyce asked as she walked into the kitchen to get herself something to eat. “We can get stuff, mom.” Will called after her.

Joyce called Karen who hesitantly let her son stay over with the Byers, earning a smile from Will, Mike, and Elle. When Joyce left, Will nudged the other boy. “Good going, now we’ll have you over here for a while. And we can talk to Dustin from the Supercom. I don’t know about Lucas because of the signal, but we can still try. Heck, Dustin might even be hard considering the weather.” Will noted. Elle and Mike both nodded.

By now, Elle had heard a lot about the legendary “Hawkins Middle AV Club”. The boys were excited for her to be the first female member when she joined them in High School. That would also make her one of the founding members of the “Hawkins High AV Club”. Nobody in the High School had made an AV Club yet, it was too “nerdy” and “immature”, plus no one else was really interested.

Mr. Clarke had agreed to let them use the, now repaired, Heathkit Hamshack even when they were in High School which made them all very excited. But they were in 7th grade, and High School was a year and a half away. Well, Middle School graduation at least. Another thing Mike was excited about. He knew he was going to invite Elle to the graduation, and on other matters, there was a legendary dance in 8th grade that only 8th graders could go to.

Apparently it lasted until midnight and there were less chaperones everywhere breathing down the kids’ necks. According to gossip heard in the hallways, the punch was sometimes spiked. Also according to the same kids, Tommy H and Carol had snuck in as 7th graders and lost their virginities there. As much as the kids didn’t want to believe it, the rumor was freakishly true. 

Meanwhile Will had stood up, followed by Elle, and the two walked into the kitchen. Mike snapped out of his thoughts of Elle in the AV Club and in school with them, at a dance, and all sorts of other daydreams, and quickly trailed after them. “Mike, what do you want?” Will asked. 

He shrugged. “Whatever you two are having.” He answered. Elle smiled and, when Will wasn’t looking, gave him a quiet and quick peck on the cheek before taking out a bowl and putting some popcorn inside. “Are you excited?” Elle asked, with a beaming smile that showed in her rosy cheeks. Mike chuckled. “Excited for what?” He asked.

Will sighed. “While you were off dreaming about your wedding, we decided to watch Poltergeist. My mom got the tape a while back, I don’t know why, but she got it, so we’re watching it. I’ve got a whole bunch of other movies that I found under her bed when Elle and I were looking to see where she hid all of the Christmas stuff.” He said, and Mike was still trying to get over the fact that Will said he was fantasizing about his wedding. ‘With Elle, of course.’ He thought to himself. He didn’t know why he needed to clarify it- he couldn’t imagine spending his days with anyone but her, but he said it in his head anyways.

Poor Elle had no idea what a wedding was and asked in pure innocence. “It’s what you and Mike are gonna do.” Will had replied, shooting a smug grin in the boy’s direction. He was blushing furiously while Elle checked on the popcorn, which had been put into the microwave. “When you’re older, Mike’s gonna propose and then you two get married. In other words, you get his last name and you aren’t allowed to love anybody else romantically except for him.” Will explained. “Oh, and on the night of the wedding-“ 

“THE POPCORN’S READY!” Mike shouted awkwardly, rushing to the microwave to take out the bowl. Will started laughing and Elle just looked around, confused, before abandoning the subject. She’d ask about it later. 

Meanwhile, they’d gotten soda and sat down around the TV. Except for Elle, she’d gone to gather some blankets. It was a well-known fact that the Byers had terrible power and air-conditioning, and it would be cold pretty quickly. The whole house was chilly in the winter and blazing in the summer, so there were tons of blankets in the closets. Thank god they had a decent hose, because they’d fill up the good ol’ kiddy pool in the summer and cool down after a long day. But for now, Elle was out of the room getting every blanket she could find that Joyce wasn’t using, and Will and Mike were left alone.

“Seriously, you need to stop being so awkward around her.” Will told Mike, who was gulping. “Will, you don’t get it! She’s so… ugh I don’t know.” Mike began, burying his head in his hands. “Innocent? Pure?” The other boy said, chuckling. Mike sighed. “Well… yeah. Just… don’t pressure her or anything. Especially after… you know.” Mike replied, and Will nodded and added a chuckle. “YOU think I’M going to pressure her? You’re her boyfriend, Mikey-boy!” He said with a dopey grin. “Shut up, Byers.” Mike said with a head-to-toe blush.

Elle came in a moment later with a pile of blankets and set them down on the floor. Will and Mike helped her set everything up- they had sleeping bags and pillows and everything. It was like a little fort, except without a cover, and they were all covered from the cold. Joyce sat this when she walked in to check on them and smiled softly as her son popped the tape into the TV. She left to give them their privacy and sat down on her bed. She had some things to be concerned about.

Hopper.

Of course, she’d began to have feelings for Hopper, the married Chief of Police with a cold heart. She couldn’t believe it. ‘Stop it, Joyce. He’s married. He’d never leave his wife, right? Especially after Sarah.’ She thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Elle and Mike were snuggled up, sharing blankets. Elle was in the middle with both boys on her side. She held the bowl of popcorn in her lap since she was in the middle, and the boys reached over every few minutes to grab popcorn. Mike and Elle were holding hands as the movie started.

Will wasn’t afraid, surprisingly. Mike wasn’t either, but Elle was. With every jump-scare or even creepy moment, she’d squeeze Mike’s hand, and he’d squeeze her’s back to make sure she knew she was safe. The movie ended and the sun was starting to set, since it was winter and the sun went down early. So, they put on E.T. and decided that would be a better option since Poltergeist had freaked Elle out quite a bit.

Eventually Elle went on another popcorn run and, while she was waiting in the kitchen, overheard Mike and Will’s conversation. She stopped listening after a few minutes, drowning herself in the noise of the popping kernels as they spoke. She thought they were talking about AV Club or D&D or something as she’d only listened in on a few sparse words. 

“Seriously though, you two are a really cute couple.” Will said, nudging his friend in the arm. Mike sighed, blushing. “Thanks? I think? I don’t know. My mom once said that first love didn’t last and that I’d move on and marry some other woman when I’m older and forget all about Elle, but I don’t want to.” He muttered. Will nudged him again. “Hey. I’ve seen the way you two get along, and it was like you two were made for eachother. For all I know, and everyone else because we can all see it too, you and Elle aren’t going to break up for a looooong time. I’m serious about what I was saying earlier. I can legitimately picture you two getting married in the future.” He said with a smile, and Mike smiled softly just as Elle walked in with a bowl of popcorn and fresh sodas for the boys and herself. She took her seat with a gentle smile as usual and Will moved forward to start the tape as they leaned against the couch. Mike put his arm around Elle’s shoulder and she nestled in like a baby bird, which Mike thought was irresistible. That, combined with her little cheek kiss from earlier, nearly drove Mike over the edge. If they were alone, he’d be slow-dancing with her to no music, kissing her with every chance he got. 

E.T. started and everyone was watching intensely. Everyone except for Mike. He was too busy staring at Elle. The way her face brightened like the summer sun whenever something good would happen. The way she seemed to connect with E.T., quite strangely. It made him smile, and his heart fluttered whenever she’d squeeze his hand. He’d gotten used to the way her fingers were; like soft feathers pressing against his skin. Her body, when they’d hug, was like a big pillow, or an ocean that he’d want to immerse himself in and drown for an eternity.

If she was the sun, he wouldn’t listen to Mr. Clarke’s science lessons. He’d fly straight into her fiery aura and take the burns. Her radiating light was contagious, and he felt himself smiling like a total dumbass during the most random times, just because he had been staring at her.

She eventually rested her head on his shoulder, and when she wasn’t looking, Will made kissy-faces towards Mike, who blushed furiously and looked away. After a while, he rested his head on top of hers and got a small smile, which he didn’t need to see. He felt it. Literally. The way her cheeks moved when she smiled as she was pressed against him. He wasn’t surprised that, when the movie ended, Elle seemed hesitant to get up. However, she did, and Will did as well. So, Mike got up too, and they walked into the kitchen. Will got the ice cream out of the freezer while Elle got the bowls, and Mike got out some spoons just so he’d feel like he was helping them at least a little bit. He didn’t want to seem useless, especially around Elle.

So, Elle scooped everyone some ice cream and Will put the tub back into the freezer before they crowded back around the television and Will ended up putting in the wrong tape. So, until they fell asleep, the trio ended up watching Elle’s baby tapes instead. Mike couldn’t have wished for a better evening. 

When they woke up, the power had gone out. Mike had woken up first and had just sat there, watching Elle sleep, before Will woke up after him. Finally, Elle got up and Will went to go turn on the light. They were all dismayed to find that it wouldn’t turn on. “Shit.” Will murmured under his breath. “Power’s out.” He told them. Elle looked nervous, but so did Mike. “Well, at least we’ve got the blankets and stuff, right?” He said, and the Byers’ siblings nodded. “I’ll go get my mom.” Will replied. When he walked into her room, she wasn’t there, but there was a note on her bed. He picked it up curiously.

‘To whom it may concern, (Jon, Will, or/and Elle)

I’m over at the Chief’s place. Discussing matters about Elle. I’ll be back when the storm dies down. Call me when/if you can.

XoXo  
Mom’

Will slapped his palm against his head. ‘Of course she had to go out on the night of the blizzard when the power went out! Wait… the blizzard might not have happened!’ He thought. He walked back into the kitchen where Elle and Mike were eating eggos and there was a plate set out for Will with a waffle and some syrup on it. “Guys, did you look outside?” He asked. They looked at eachother and shook their heads before getting up and walking over to the door. Mike first looked through the glass to see nothing. “It’s all dark.” He said, stepping back. Will reached for the knob and found the door very hard to open before it finally did. Snow poured into the house piled up for about five feet and Will found himself backing up. He mentally kicked himself.

Elle awkwardly stumbled forwards before the snow managed to clean itself off of the carpet and fly back outside. The door closed and locked, and Elle got a paper towel from the kitchen, wiping the blood from her nose. They were snowed in, without Joyce.

Will ran into his room and grabbed his Supercom, and Elle did the same. The trio huddled in the living room, covered in blankets, as Elle channeled the others with her powers to give them an actual signal.

“Lucas!” Will said. “Dustin!”

“Oh my god, Will, it’s like 9 am, I’m half-awake.” Dustin complained. “What’s up? Over.”

“Everything’s snowed in, over.” The boy commented, and Dustin sighed. “I know. We’ll just have to talk over the Supercom until the snow melts and I can actually get over there. By the way, I think Lucas tried calling Mike. Is he awake yet? Over.” Dustin asked, yawning.

Will handed the Supercom to Mike. “I’m right here, Dustin. I’m trapped with these two hooligans. Over.” He joked, ruffling Elle’s hair lightly, earning him a little giggle from her. The giggle he craved so badly. Mike honestly thought he loved her laugh more than she loved eggos. His point? He loved her laugh a LOT. 

“Oh, hey man. Okay, well I’ll tell Lucas not to call you then.” Dustin said. “But for now, I’m going back to sleep. Over and out.” He added with a sleepy yawn. “Okay.” Will, Elle, and Mike said at the same time before hanging up. “Over and out.”

Boredom struck after about thirty minutes of nothing. Elle sat up with a smile. “Hey, we can play cards.” She suggested and got up to get the deck of cards out of the cabinet in the living room. She came back and began to shuffle them. “Do you know how to play?” Will asked with a smirk. “Teach me.” She replied, raising her brow and grinning back at her brother. Mike was jealous- he’d never had that kind of relationship with his sister. But Elle was different to Will than Nancy was with him. For starters, they weren’t friends, and they weren’t the same age. But Will and Elle were both of those things. They were a lot alike. Heck, even their names sounded similar.

So, Will explained how to play go-fish with Elle, and eventually the game was started. Elle was very competitive, and then the thought hit Mike. What if she joined the sports teams when she went to high school with them? Being on a team was a status symbol- immediate popularity. Being his usual anxious self, he began to completely overthink the situation. He was concerned that she’d become popular and stop talking to them, or hanging out with them, completely. After all, they were at the bottom of the social pyramid, and Elle was pretty, smart, and kind. He had no doubt she’d end up being well-liked at the school.

Of course, she even had Jennifer Hayes and Larissa Washington as friends. The boys had her too, but not in the way Elle did. After all, they were the other boys’ dates, and that was different. They were FRIENDS with Elle, and that was a completely different ball game. 

He snapped out of his daze by hearing Elle’s mesmerizing voice. “Mike, do you have any 5’s?” She asked, and he smiled softly. “Nope, go fish.” He said. He watched as she pulled a card out of the deck and smiled widely, taking the 5 out of her cards and setting it down next to another in a small pile. She had been winning, Mike discovered. He fell back into his own thoughts for a moment. 

What if she broke up with him for a more popular boy? He was nervous about this, but reassured by the way she smiled at him. He knew she wouldn’t do that, but it still felt strange, like he wasn’t good enough for her. Charismatic, charming Elle. The girl with the troubled past and the heart of gold. She was perfect to him.

He didn’t recognize it, but she felt the same way. Elle watched him, the way he concentrated so hard in one moment and fell into his own thoughts the next. The way his face tensed up when he was deep in thought and how his freckles glowed under the sun. His dark brown eyes and curly, shiny black hair. He was perfect to her.

“Will, got any kings?” Mike asked, and Will sighed, handing the card over to the other boy, who grinned with satisfaction. “Thank youuuu.” Mike teased, and Elle chuckled softly. Mike was brought back to the days of her trying out his dad’s La-Z-Boy and him showing her his Yoda figurine and dinosaur toy. She was distracted by Will, but Mike knew he loved her after a little while during her stay at his house.

He remembered her tear stained cheeks when he opened the closet door, and her pained smile as she whispered the word promise. That word was so sacred to the kids now. If they promised anything, it was always kept true. They took their word very seriously after Elle came, left, and came again, and that was the way it would be for a long time.

Mike won with Elle close behind him, and Will took his defeat gruffly. “Come on, best out of three.” He challenged, and Elle smirked at him. “Fine, but just because you need proof that we beat you.” She replied. Mike smiled softly when he heard Elle refer to them as ‘we’, and it made him feel all warm and bubbly inside. But the game began, and Mike found himself winning yet again. Elle finished with the win this time, Mike in second, and Will grumbled around after being defeated a second time. He gave up after that, but secretly wanted to see the young couple do something, anything cute. He thought they were a match made in heaven.

Everyone thought that they were meant to be. Mike and Elle. Elle and Mike. It was like they were made for eachother. When they’d hug, their bodies fit together perfectly like the two missing pieces of one big jigsaw puzzle, and when they held hands, others could almost see the love radiating from them. Especially Joyce, who had noticed this ever since Elle first started living with them. 

She never mentioned it so that her daughter would eventually figure it out, because Elle could be quite ignorant at some times, but only in her innocent ways. Joyce remembered that it wasn’t like it was the girl’s fault anyways, she had simply been raised in the dark, and was now experiencing the light for the first time. 

And Elle thought that the light was exhilarating. 

She loved every bit of being in whatever this paradise was that made up her world. The boys, her family, the boys’ families, everyone, everything, eggos, etc. She loved it all.

Mike, Elle, and Will watched a few more movies before they heard the dog walking around. Will got up after remembering he had to feed him, leaving Elle and Mike alone. She looked over at him and stared into his eyes. He felt so vulnerable, trapped by hazel lasers and a soft smile that could stun the strongest of men. So, while Will was feeding Bubba, Elle leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips. It was another long one, initiated by Mike, who pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist as usual. She placed hers differently, with one on his shoulder and the other cradling his face. He smiled through the kiss and both of their eyes were closed. They leaned back to come up for air and smiled at eachother. Elle put her head on his shoulder, where the couple felt like it rightfully belonged, and Mike wished the moment could last forever. Will came in and yawned. “Okay, I fed him. Oh, god, you two get a room.” He joked. “Oh come on, can’t handle the love, Byers?” Mike teased, and Will huffed. “Whatever, Mike.” He joked back. Mike took Elle’s hand and the two stood up. Elle was confused. “What are we doing?” She asked.

“Dancing.” He replied with a smile. “There’s no music?” She said with a confused smile. “We don’t need music to dance.” Mike said softly. 

“Oh shit, Wheeler’s getting soft!” Will teased as Mike put his arms on Elle’s hips. She instinctively put hers on his shoulders and Mike began to move just like he had shown her before. So, the two moved softly, swaying to the nonexistent beat. Elle moved forward and Mike did the same after a few minutes, but they kept swaying. Will clapped right before their foreheads touched. “Woooo! Call the school, we’ve got new talent show contestants!” He joked, and Mike huffed, slapping his friend on the shoulder after he pulled away, hesitantly of course, from his girlfriend. “Yeah, yeah, Byers.” He replied with a curt grin. 

Elle giggled and suddenly threw a pillow at Mike. “Oh, you wanna get into this?” He asked with a smirk, and she teasingly pushed him. He picked up another pillow and threw it back at her, and then Will threw another pillow at Mike. After moments, the three were in a full-out pillow war, and Elle was trying not to laugh as the air was knocked out of her. She eventually gave up and joined the boys with contagious laughter, eventually falling over with Mike onto the soft blankets. He was laying over her, their bodies pressed together. He kissed the top of her nose and Will rioted. “OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” He crowed, grinning widely and throwing his arms up like he’d just made a touchdown. Mike and Elle rolled their eyes but stayed together. Will threw two more pillows at them before they all sat up and decided to play some more Atari.

They were all bored of Pac-Man, so they figured Frogger would be a good alternative. Elle was a fast learner, and in more than one way. She remembered all of the basic education she’d gotten from Joyce, Nancy, and the others. She would remember the video games as well, and the boys were glad she was so smart. At the rate she was learning, she’d be able to tutor them in school when they needed. She was already at a 7th grade reading level, which meant she was caught up to them in that, but at a 5th grade science and math level, which meant she’d have to catch up before she would be able to join them in school. It looked like she’d end up waiting for high school after all.

However, according to Hopper, she’d join them on the last week of school just to get used to the social environment. As a “shadow”, he had said. She’d just go to classes, with Mike and Will specifically, and eat lunch with them. She’d come to the high school in the fall, and officially be a member of the public school system as well.

A lot had been happening recently, but Elle was so happy. She couldn’t wait to join the boys in school. She’d heard tons about it, especially from Nancy, who talked about how much she hated it. She did mention some good parts, but Elle wasn’t really paying attention to all of them. She was just excited for being able to see the boys all day every day instead of being separated from them for 7 of the morning hours. It meant a lot to her to feel… normal.

While she’d been distracted, she’d ended up losing, but it didn’t matter. Will was taking his turn, and Mike had already taken his. He had wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she was just so comfortable that she didn’t mind watching Will play for a while. Mike didn’t mind either, absorbed in the moment with the girl by his side. The girl with medium-length dark chestnut hair. The girl who he’d run into when he was 12 in the middle of Mirkwood, freezing cold, wearing only a yellow t-shirt, soaking wet from the rainwater. 

Elle was thinking the same thing. The boy who had taken her in. The boy with the head of dark, black-brown hair and freckles dappling his pale cheeks. His chocolate brown eyes and paralyzing gazes. 

Meanwhile, Will had lost and they were now going to do something else. They were bored of video games and such when Will got an idea. “The window!” He said softly. Mike and Elle looked at him, confused. “Guys, we can climb out of the kitchen window and go out into the snow. We can’t go too far though, but at least sled maybe. I have an old one in the closet.” He said. “Sled?” Elle asked.

“It’s when you get onto this wooden board thing and slide around in the snow. It’s really fun.” Mike explained, and Elle smiled. “Okay.” She said. The kids got up and got dressed, pulling on their winter clothes from the night before. Elle wrapped a scarf around her neck and Will put on his gloves. Mike put on his hat, which Elle hadn’t failed to mention that she thought was cute. They continued to clamber awkwardly out of the kitchen window and fall into the powdery snow one by one. Will came out last with his sled and it nearly got stuck in the window before it fell out with him.

He grinned. “Elle first. She needs to see how fun it is.” He said, and patted the top of the sled. She hesitantly sat down on it before Will pushed her. There was a buildup of snow around the house which made perfect slopes to go down onto. Elle yelped with surprise and laughed a moment after, hanging on as she slid down the small, snow-hill. Will went next, shrieking with excitement, and Mike went last.

He ended up falling face first into the powdery snow and Elle burst out into laughter, helping him up. She was right next to a patch of ice and slipped, bringing him down with her. Will went over to help the messy couple up before falling on the same patch of ice. The trio gave up on trying to get out and just lay there, laughing, for a while before getting up and climbing back inside. It was quite a struggle- they needed assistance. Elle only had enough energy to use her powers to lift Will and his Sled through the window, but Mike had to help push her up afterwards. The powdery snow was… well, powdery, and very hard to climb up. Elle used partial-power and partial-strength to help Mike up and he smiled at her, still holding the hand she’d gripped to pull him back into the house. Will closed the window and took off his outerwear, Elle and Mike doing the same afterwards. They had completely forgotten that the power had come on quite a while ago, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to use the TV or Atari, but suddenly the phone rang. Will answered.

“Hello? Is that Will?” Joyce asked. Will sighed and nodded.

“Yeah mom, it’s me.” He said. 

“Why didn’t you call me earlier?” Joyce asked with her ‘I’m-your-mother-and-I’m-allowed-to-be-worried-about-you’ tone.

Will sighed again. “The power was out.” He protested. “We’ve just been sitting around.”

“Well, tell Mike he needs to call his mom, she wants to check on him.” Joyce replied, and Will nodded. “Okay, love you, mom, bye.” Will said.

He turned to Mike. “You mom wants you to call her.” He said, and Mike nodded, stepping up to the phone next and taking it in his hand. He dialed her number and Elle and Will sat back, watching him wait for her to answer. 

“Hey, mom, it’s Mike.” He said nervously.

“Mike, thank god. I tried calling earlier, but you didn’t answer! I was so worried.” Karen stated.

Mike shrugged. “Sorry, mom, the power’s been out all morning. I would’ve called.” He replied, and she sighed into the phone.

“Alright, just call me later. By the looks of it, you might be over there for a few days.” Karen said, clearly concerned. Mike was grinning, but he wouldn’t let his mother know that.

“Okay. I’m fine over here though, and I’ll call you. Love you too.” He said after some inaudible stuff said by Karen and hung up the phone. “So?” Will asked.

“She’s fine with me staying over here until the snow melts. All we gotta do now is make the time the best we can.” He said with a grin, and Elle smiled back at him.

Now they just had to make a plan for the next 3+ days that they'd be stuck in the house.

And Mike had absolutely no problem in there with Elle and Will. Not a single issue.


	25. Trio Troubles

Day 1 of the lock-in was finished. Will, Elle, and Mike had successfully survived the cold by going through movies, video games, board games, cards, and books. Now, the boredom was starting to set in.

Will was sitting to himself, drawing something, and Elle was reading. Mike wasn’t doing anything in particular- literally sitting there, watching Elle read. He liked the way her brow furrowed whenever she came across a word she didn’t understand or if her favorite character did something stupid. She asked Mike frequently what words like “euphoria” and “cacophony” meant, which usually puzzled him, but he tried his best to explain the ones he knew. 

So, Will was getting very bored. He decided to entertain himself in a different way. “Hey, guys, we should play hide and seek.” He suggested. Mike chuckled. “What are you, five?” He teased. Will rolled his eyes. “What else is there to do? Suggest something better and I’ll do it without hesitation.” He replied. Mike thought for a moment before giving up. “Fine.” He huffed, turning back to see Elle. 

“You know what hide and seek is, right?” He asked, and Elle nodded. She’d heard of it when she was at the Wheelers’ house one day, and Karen was talking about Mike’s childhood with Ted. Elle hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on the ENTIRE conversation, but she heard Mike’s name and was very curious. So, she channeled Karen and Ted to the Supercom in the basement and listened for a while before stopping when Mike got home from school.

Mike smiled. “Okay. So, should we hide together or do you want to hide separately?” He asked, and Will interjected. “Together. Hide in pairs. Because Elle is a master hider and it’ll take me hours to find her otherwise.” He said. His plan was going along perfectly, and there was only one place in the house that they would go to hide. He knew it.

Mike nodded and so did Elle. Will turned around to count and Mike and Elle scampered off to find a place to hide, hand in hand. 

First they went to Jonathan’s room, figuring that Will wouldn’t go in there first. He’d probably check the closet in the hallway or something. When they heard Will walking towards them, they dove under the small space under Jon’s bed, only to find…

Mike let out a disgusted shriek, throwing something across the darkness before covering his mouth. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” He repeated, and Elle tilted her head. “What is it, Mike? I can’t see.” She murmured.

He could though. His eyes had adjusted and the object was in front of him. “That’s… Nancy’s shirt… and… bra?!” He said, surprised. Elle made an awkward face and gulped. “Oh…” She said, rubbing her arm. “Did she…?” She asked, and Mike nodded. “She must have. There’s no other reason.” He said with a sigh.

“Oh my god, what if they’re… you know, dating?” Mike asked. Elle turned to him. “Why would that be strange?” She asked, catching on to what he was implying. “Because… you’re his sister, and she’s my sister, and… ugh I don’t know.” He murmured, but Elle lifted his chin after her eyes adjusted and pressed her forehead against his. “If there’s anything they need to tell us, they’ll say it, Mike.” Elle said softly, and Mike blushed against her touch. He moved forward and pressed a kiss briefly against her, marveling at the softness of her pale pink lips. He smiled softly before Will let out an exasperated sigh, opening Jon’s door. “Come on guys, bedrooms are off-limits.” He said, bending over to see the two under his brother’s bed. 

Mike grinned. “Says who?” He asked, and Will rolled his eyes. “Says me. Come on, we’re starting over, and you two are hiding somewhere easier to find. It took me nearly ten minutes to even think of getting here.” He muttered, and Elle smirked at Mike. “Yeah, that’s kind of the point, dumbass.” Mike joked, nudging Will’s arm, who nudged him back. “Okay, I’m counting down from twenty.” He said.

Mike and Elle decided to retreat to the bathroom where they could hide behind the shower curtain. It was easy to find, but a very quiet place, and they figured Will would check the closet first to make sure they weren’t in there. So, they opened the door and quietly closed it just like it had been moments before, hiding in the bathtub. Mike pulled the curtain over them and they both sat down in the tub, waiting until Will would burst in.

Instead, they only heard a locking noise and Will’s “evil” laughter. “Good luck getting out now, lovebirds!” Their friend shrieked, having locked the door from the outside. Mike’s mouth hung open and so did Elle’s, but Will’s laughter was so loud that they both started laughing as well.

“Will, you asshole, let us out!” Mike said, climbing out of the bathtub to bang on the door. Will just laughed more. “Good luuuuuuuck!” He mocked, and ended up sitting down in front of the door. Mike turned to Elle. “Oh my god.” He muttered, laughing softly, and she did the same thing, getting out of the tub to walk over to him. She held his hand and they just sat there. “We’re holding hands, will you let us out now?” Mike asked, trying to satisfy his friend. “Nope.” He replied.

So, Elle moved over and Mike put his arm around her. “I’m HOLDING her.” He expressed with a slight whine. He didn’t mind holding Elle, not at all, in fact, he loved it. However, he also wanted to get the two of them out of the bathroom before Will went crazy.

“Not yet!” Will crowed with a sing-song voice. So, Mike and Elle quickly kissed. “OKAY I KISSED HER, WILL, NOW LET US OUT.” Mike yelled through the door while Elle took his hand and shook her head. She had a plan and she had begun to think that Will and Mike forgot about her powers. Mike looked over at her to see her staring at the doorknob and grinned, knowing what she would do.

Turns out, Will was standing right infront of the door, which was quite unfortunate for him. So, when Elle’s powers kicked in and the door flew open, Will grunted, being pushed to the side. “Owww.” He murmured, rubbing his arm. “Geez, Ellie, that’s gonna bruise.” He joked. She just grinned. “You deserved it.” She replied, and Mike chuckled softly, putting his arm around her shoulder. Will made kissing noises and Elle, to not let him be satisfied, kissed Mike right on the lips in front of him. He went nuts.

“OHHHHHHHHHHHH!” He screamed, running around. Elle couldn’t remember if he’d seen them kiss before, but she assumed he hadn’t. Mike was blushing and playfully slapped her on the arm, but she shrugged and winked at him. Mike was laughing softly and so was Elle, while Will ran around in circles like a madman. “I now pronounce you man and wife!” He joked, slapping them both on the back.

But then Elle remembered finding Nancy’s shirt under Jonathan’s bed. “Hey, Will, has Nancy been over here recently?” She asked curiously, seeing what Will knew about his brother and Mike’s sister. Will shrugged. “Yeah, I think she was here a few days ago. Apparently Jon and Nancy have chemistry together and were studying or something.”

“Yeah, you could definitely say that they have CHEMISTRY.” Mike muttered in a joking manner, rubbing the back of his neck. Will narrowed his eyes. “Mike… what have you seen?” He asked. Mike sighed. “Well, uh… Elle and I found Nancy’s shirt in Jonathan’s bedroom.” He muttered. Will gulped. “Oh… well… that doesn’t mean they did anything, right?” He suggested.

Elle chimed in. “We, uh… we kind of found her bra too.” She replied awkwardly and Will gawked. “Wait, what?! Her BRA?” He asked, his face turning fifty shades of red. Elle nodded awkwardly. “Yeah… you don’t think they’re… together, do you?” She asked. Will shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. Guys, we totally need to figure this out.” He muttered, and Mike and Elle nodded in agreement.

“But still, why the hell did you lock us in the bathroom?” Mike asked, smirking, with a furrowed brow. Will rolled his eyes. “To get you two to kiss, dumbass. Honestly, I wish I had what you two have with Jennifer. I feel like she’s not really into me.” Will said awkwardly, rubbing his arm.

Elle’s jaw dropped. “YOU think SHE’S not into you?” She asked, starting to laugh suddenly. Mike was chuckling a little bit as well but finally burst into laughter after her. Will slapped Elle on the arm. “This isn’t funny!” He defended.

“Um, yeah, it kind of is, Byers. Jennifer Hayes really likes you. Like… a lot.” Mike replied, wiping a tear from his eye and helping Elle up, who had fallen onto the ground from laughing so hard. 

“Whatever. Let’s just write this down, I want to know what Jon’s been up to now. Oh my god… you don’t think they’ve been screwing every time he comes to your house, do you?” Will asked with a horrified expression. Mike now looked terrified too, but Elle interjected. “Hey, maybe they actually were studying…” She said, trying to sound convincing. It failed miserably. 

So, Will got out a piece of paper and started writing. “Okay, so we found her shirt and bra over here.” He said while he wrote, his hand moving quickly across the sheet of notebook paper. He had rushed over to his desk to grab it messily, but nobody really cared. They were trying to figure out if their siblings were dating- quality wasn’t even BARELY a concern.

So, they decided to list everything they’d found out over the past few months. “They hang out like all the time, and I’ve seen Jonathan drop Nancy off at my house after school.” Mike said while Will wrote.

“And while Elle was gone, they were always around eachother. They never kissed or did anything romantic, but they ALWAYS hung out. Before I’d walk home, I’d see them outside talking or something.” Mike continued. Will was scribbling everything down. His handwriting was a mess, but both Mike and Elle had learned to read it. Elle was a fast learner, while it had taken Mike years to figure out the chicken scratch.

As the snow flurried from the skies above, the kids sat there, writing down clues to the mystery at hand. Every few moments, someone would spill out information that they knew, before Elle finally remembered something.

“Oh my god.” She murmured, looking over at Mike and then at Will. “They are together.” She said.

“Well, we don’t know that.” Mike interjected.

“Yes, we do. I do.” Elle muttered. “Right when I got back, Nancy took me into her bedroom and we talked. Remember?” She asked, and Mike and Will both nodded. 

“She told me he was her boyfriend…” Elle said awkwardly, looking nervously at the other boys. Their mouths were hanging open. 

“Elle, why wouldn’t you tell us this?” Mike asked, looking over at her.

“Because!” She began. “Nancy made me promise not to tell and now I’ve broken a promise. Oh my god… can I not be Nancy’s friend now?” She asked, looking horrified.

Will and Mike shook their heads. “No, no, no, you did it for the right reason. Besides, we’ll fake it and find out on our own. But seriously… who would’ve thought… Jonathan and Nancy.” Mike said. 

It was going to be an awkward snow-in.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was stuck in someone else’s house as well- the Wheelers’, of course. He had gone over there to make sure Will wasn’t there and that he was heading home, but when Nancy had distracted him, he’d completely forgot about the task at hand and ended up sleeping over, and when he woke up the next morning, the ground was covered in snow and he realized he’d be stuck there unless he walked 1.3 miles back to his house, which was a definite no given the circumstances.

Nancy and Jonathan spent their time cuddling, doing procrastinated homework, and talking their time away. At the current moment, Ted and Karen were downstairs with Holly and Nancy and Jonathan were in the eldest Wheeler child’s bedroom. 

Nancy was laying on the floor, her head resting on Jonathan’s chest. She wore a yellow sweater and a pair of jeans while he wore jeans and a simple blue shirt. They were just sitting there. Jonathan was weaving his hands through Nancy’s hair, enjoying the softness, while she closed her eyes. 

“Jon?” Nancy asked, turning over to rest her hands on his chest and look him in the eyes. He smiled down at her, tilting his head slightly. “Yeah, Nance?” He replied, wondering what was on her mind. “I… I love you.” She murmured quietly. There. She said it. The dreaded ‘I love you’ had been exchanged, and Nancy felt bad for saying it at such a strange time, but she knew she meant it.

She had looked down, but switched her gaze to stare back up at Jonathan, who was blushing like crazy. She looked worried now, thinking he was rejecting her, and bit her lip, trying not to look like she was upset. He smiled and cupped her cheek after noticing this. “I love you too, Nancy.” He said softly before kissing her.


	26. Confirmed!

Will, Elle, and Mike knew that Nancy and Jonathan were a thing. Elle had never been so sure of something in her entire life- well, that was a lie. She was more sure about her feelings for Mike and how she loved eggos, but she’d spilled the details of the Byers-Wheeler elder siblings’ relationship, and now her brother and boyfriend knew.

“We can’t tell the other guys, they’ll freak.” Mike said, earning a nod from both Elle and Will. “Agreed. We’d be screwed, too, because it’d get back to Nancy, especially if she heard it from Dustin or Larissa. They’d joke around about it all the time and she’d figure out what they were saying eventually.” Will replied.

Elle sat up. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we pretend not to know and stage a walk-in? Like… Jonathan, chances are, is at your house,” She said, turning to Mike, who had furrowed his brow and nodded. “So, we just have to get you home at an awkward time and ‘accidentally’ walk in while they’re together?” Elle suggested. 

“That’s either a really good idea or a really bad one.” Will said. “We don’t want to catch them… you know… doing IT.” He muttered absentmindedly, shivering at the thought of walking in on them actively having sex. 

Sex was something the group of young teens never discussed. Ever. Elle had questioned why, but she had asked Nancy, who said it was too awkward for her to understand. But she did understand sexual assault and harassment, sadly. She was also yet to see the “therapist” that Joyce had suggested. Elle had no idea what a therapist was, but she figured it would help. Joyce always had the best of intentions with Elle, so the young girl trusted her with her life. After all, Joyce was her mother. She’d taken her in when she’d returned from the Upside Down.

Sometimes Elle wondered what life would be like if she had stayed with that “Ives” woman. She wouldn’t have met the boys- or girls. She would’ve simply stayed in the lab actually, as they wouldn’t have found her. Mike would’ve never taken her in and let her stay in his house. She’d just be running through the cold, waiting for Papa and the bad men to trap and catch her. They’d probably bait her like a mouse and take her with their snake hands and cruel voices. 

Elle hated their voices.

Always monotone and bland, with a cold temperature. Whenever they’d speak to her, her blood turned to ice. The entire room felt like it had dropped 20 degrees. They would put her into the sensory deprivation tank and she’d scream until her head was pounding and blood had streamed from her nose. She’d walk amongst monsters and men, and sometimes she couldn’t tell the difference between the two. Sometimes, there simply was no difference.

Elle snapped out of her thoughts to continue the conversation at hand. She didn’t want to think about the lab- every time she started to think about it, her mind drowned in a sea of hatred. She felt like they had used her as a lab rat, a test experiment, to get where they wanted and see what they wanted. Well- that’s exactly what they did with her. No- not with her, TO her. They had used her and when they didn’t get what they wanted, abused her. She had to keep herself steady in the conversation at hand so she didn’t spiral into the darkness that was her past. 

For now, there were different things at hand, and Elle was ultimately glad for the awkward conversation as a distraction to mask the wave of thoughts approaching the beach that was her mind. She turned to Will to face him after having been staring at Mike for a few moments. She never said anything about how she had the tendency to do that, but she figured it was awkward and strange to talk about. As Nancy had once said ‘creepy’. 

Elle wasn’t thinking about that now. “Well, we can always listen outside for a second before going in? I mean, none of us are deaf, right?” She joked, and Mike chuckled. “True. But if we hear anything weird, I’m NOT going in, period.” He said. Will nodded. “Yeah, same.” He replied, and Elle looked over at them. “Why are you looking at me? You think I want to see them naked?” She joked again, laughing softly. The boys did the same and eventually Mike reached over to hold Elle’s hand. “Alright, the plan is set. Now we just have to wait until the snow melts before we can go back to my house.” He said, and Will and Elle both nodded to him. 

The snow melted the next day, and the excited, young teens woke up quite early to go out and get to the Wheelers’ house. There was still ice and snow on the ground, but it now wasn’t three and a half feet tall. Just a few inches, barely, and the kids could now get their bikes up and out of the snow to get to the road, which was covered in salt from neighbors and the local sanitation department. 

However, the Wheeler household wasn’t doing quite well. Nancy and Jonathan were fine- they’d been spending their time talking about the future and discussing college and such, but Karen and Ted were at a crossroads. The divorce papers had arrived the previous day, and while their teenage daughter and her boyfriend were happily upstairs, the older couple was downstairs, sitting at the dining table, with papers spread across the wood. If anyone had asked, they’d say they were filling out bills together since the new year had begun, and they’d pray nobody read what they were actually filling out.

Karen and Ted Wheeler wanted to keep their divorce a secret. Mike, Elle, and Will weren’t the only ones with a plan- the older couple had a plan of their own. Ted and Karen would fill out the papers and secretly take off their rings to put into storage where the kids wouldn’t see them, and while they were at school for about a week, Ted would sneak out to go to the city where he had rented an apartment to live in. 

Karen wasn’t worried about herself or about Ted. She was worried about Nancy and Mike. Neither were close to their father, but still, he was their dad, and having him walk out wasn’t a good thing in any child’s life. Ted had been a decent father leading up to the birth of the third Wheeler child, Holly. He’d gone to Mike’s T-Ball games and Nancy’s band concerts. He’d gone camping with his son and even went shopping with Nancy once when she was little and Karen was out of town. He’d been in love with Karen Wheeler at one point in time, but now they rarely slept in the same bed. They never kissed any more, barely ever hugged, and it was clear that the romance in their marriage was dead, and they both knew it.

So, the two sat there in a silence that could only be defined as awkward, scribbling down signatures, turning pages, and holding the papers closer to their faces to read the fine print. It was something Karen Wheeler feared she’d never have to experience, but there she was, filling out papers that would end her marriage with her husband of about 20 years. They had been married when Karen was fresh out of college, and they'd met there and fallen in love. Ted was 3 years her senior, and her mother didn’t approve at first, but he had been so charming, and she was swept off of her feet. She remembered the venue and everything- her grandmother had even showed up and blessed the newlyweds. They’d been so happy for so long. They argued rarely, and then Karen found out she was pregnant with Nancy in 1966. She was surprised when Ted was celebrating and happy.

Nancy Wheeler was born on February 9, 1967. It was a great day. She was a beautiful child and Ted was so happy, even if she wasn’t the son he had wanted. Karen was so in love with Ted and their newborn child that she thought they'd never fall apart. She thought their love was like teflon, solid and un-breaking. It wasn’t. 

Michael Wheeler was born on April 5, 1971. Karen wasn’t quite sure why neither of her children had middle names, but she didn’t have one and neither did Ted, so she went along with it. She was even happier when her 4 year old daughter snuggled up with her newborn son on the couch one night while The Beatles sang on the old radio in the kitchen of their newly-bought house in Hawkins, Indiana. They’d moved there looking for a small town and a fresh start after Karen’s grandmother passed away after turning 94. She had been devastated, but it was her time, and Ted agreed that they needed to find somewhere other than where they had been, which was Chicago. 

So, Karen, Ted, and 4 year old Nancy packed their bags and left their modest Chicago, Illinois home and drove to Hawkins, Indiana before purchasing a family home on Maple Street. Everyone had been jealous of them- they were the picture-perfect family. Loving parents, a smart, bubbly toddler, and a pregnant wife who baked pastries for the neighbors during every holiday and tragedy. Eventually, Karen befriended their neighbor, Sasha Sinclair, who was also pregnant with a son. The two became great friends and spent the days talking about their husbands, work, new recipes they found, and great sewing techniques. It was like something out of a movie. 

When Mike was born, Ted had celebrated for hours, holding their newborn baby son in the light and covering him in kisses. He had cried at both children’s birth, but he was clearly very happy when Mike had been born. He’d been named after Ted’s father, Michael Wheeler, thus, was a II. 

This, to that very day, remained unknown to Mike. Of course, there was a reason why.

Mike and Nancy had never been close to their grandfather, but they’d never forget the day he passed away. Mike was 11 and Nancy was 14, almost 15, when they got the dreaded call. Mike had bounced down the stairs to answer the phone, thinking it was one of his new school friends, Dustin Henderson, who’d moved into town quite recently according to the time. The year was 1982. 

“Hello there, Wheeler residence, Michael speaking.” He answered, sounding chipper as always. Mike’s voice was high and squeaky, and he was missing one of his front teeth which had fallen out late. It reminded him of his new friend Dustin, who’d pointed it out after stating that his teeth weren’t coming in for a while. Mike’s tone of voice changed when the caller on the other side asked for his father and stated that it was an emergency, he understandingly called his father in. 

“Yes, sport?” Ted asked, patting his son on the shoulder. “Phone for you.” Mike answered, handing him the telephone that was hanging on the wall. Ted picked it up and put it to his ear. Mike scurried off to annoy his teenage sister, who was very easy to annoy, much to Mike’s 11 year old liking. Ted hung up the phone a few seconds later with tears in his eyes.

A few weeks later, Ted left for his father’s funeral. Mike and Nancy had never been involved with Ted’s parents- his mother had visited once or twice, but his father? Never. It was because he had never approved of Karen. He wanted his son to marry a rich woman and bring him to a life of luxury, but when he had married Karen, his plan was thrown off, and he didn’t want anything to do with his grandchildren, which saddened both Ted and Karen. So, both of their grandfathers were kept a secret, as Karen didn’t know where her father was, and obviously, Ted’s was dead.

But Ted Wheeler came back from his father’s funeral a changed man. He stopped playing catch with his son and helping his daughter with her homework. He started drinking and spent his days watching television while becoming distant and cold towards his family. 

Karen was suddenly remembering this and felt immediately bad for divorcing him- she had loved him dearly. After all, they were married. At one point. Their marriage was over and had been for the past 2 years. Mrs. Wheeler shed a single tear as she jotted down her signature over and over again. Soon, she wouldn’t be a Mrs. She’d be a Ms.

In the same moment, Joyce Byers was sitting in the Chief of Police’s kitchen, drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette lazily. His trailer was a wreck, but she wasn’t complaining- her house was the same, if not worse. She saw doodles and scribbles on the wall, most likely made by his late daughter, Sara. Joyce wondered what it was like to truly lose a child.

When she’d lost Will, she never gave up hope. She was sure he was still alive. Hopper’s situation was different. Or… Jim, as he'd started letting her call him. His daughter had died right before his eyes and there was no hope left in his case. However, Joyce, to that day, was still truly touched that he had saved her son’s life. She could never repay him for that.

He clambered into the room wearing boxers and a t-shirt that he’d lazily pulled on. 

Joyce sat up in her chair. “Hop, we’ve gotta talk about this at some point. What about your wife? Did you forget that you’re married?” Joyce asked frantically, pouring her thoughts out onto the confused Chief.

He sighed, sitting down next to her. He brushed his hand against his stubble as he thought for a moment. “Look, Joyce, I really enjoy being around you. You’re an incredible woman and I have no intentions of letting you go any time soon. My wife… we haven’t truly been married for years. We screwed, she’d go to work, I’d stay home and work here. She works in the city, remember? Right now she’s probably at a hotel with some young guy.” He said, shrugging. “Ever since… ever since Sara,” Hop began. “She was all I had to hold on to. So, I didn’t let her go. I built up a definition of love around what we had in the past, and now that I realize what I’ve been missing, I don’t want to let go of this.” He spilled out, and Joyce looked over into his eyes.

“I’ll let this little charade go on for a little while longer, Hop.” Joyce said. “But if your wife ever finds out, we’re screwed.” She sipped her coffee before looking at him with that I’m-dead-serious-and-don’t-you-ever-think-that-I’m-not-willing-to-kick-your-ass look. He sighed, rubbing his stubble again before taking gulp of an old beer that was sitting on the table. “Fine.” He murmured.

Joyce was satisfied with that answer.


	27. The Great Melt

The snow-in was FINALLY over. Everyone was happily reunited and stories of the past few days were spilled out into each others minds like cards on a poker table. First was the confirmation story of Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship, donated by Mike, Elle, and Will to the group’s curious, hungry ears.

Elle remembered it well, so she was the one to speak. 

“It all started a few days ago…” She began, speaking of the plan for Mike to stay over at the Byers’ house and how they came up with the idea to see if Jonathan and Nancy were a couple after playing hide and seek out of pure boredom and coming across Nancy’s discarded bra under Jonathan’s bed, where the two had been hiding.

So, the snow finally melted and Mike, Elle, and Will were biking off to the Wheelers’ house as soon as they could. When they walked into the house from the basement, Mike called out to his parents to let them know he had arrived. Of course, they Nancy and Jonathan were fast asleep and out of hearing range anyways, on the second story of the house.

So, Elle, Will, and Mike snuck up the stairs and quickly but silently opened Nancy’s door. The two were spooning on Nancy’s bed, cuddling and kissing, laughing and smiling. When they noticed three pairs of wide eyes staring at them through the crack in the door, Nancy blushed furiously and threw a pillow at them, which earned them a door slam and three high pitched giggles.

Of course, Nancy was home alone now, sitting upstairs in her room, writing in the diary she’d invested in around a year earlier, after Barb’s death. Nancy had purchased the diary as a way to cope from the loss. She was spilling the details of the previous morning into the pages, sighing softly as she wrote. She truly loved Jonathan, and didn’t understand why it was so awkward that her siblings had walked in.

Oh yeah- she was dating Elle’s brother, and Elle was dating her brother.

“She’s adopted, Nancy.” She whispered to herself, trying to get the strange images out of her head as she thought about the awkwardness of the entire situation. Who would’ve thought- the eldest Byers boy and the eldest Wheeler girl, as well as the youngest Byers girl and the youngest Wheeler boy. It was an awkward conversation that Nancy had no intention of having with Elle. 

Elle didn’t want to have the conversation either. She’d done the math in her head, but realized that if it was truly meant to be, there would be no shame in it. Besides, she wasn’t ACTUALLY related to them. It was a strange coincidence that both pairs of siblings were in love with each other.

After telling the story, Will started to embellish little details in such as how he locked Elle and Mike in the bathroom until they kissed, when Max and Lucas awkwardly walked into the basement holding hands. Will chimed up to yell. “OOOOOOOOOOH!” And make kissy noises. Elle and Mike knew how awkward it was, but secretly felt glad that at least Will wasn’t making the noises at them. 

Lucas and Max didn’t let go of the other’s hands, but sat down next to the others before she cleared her throat. “So, we, uh, wanted to tell you something.” She said, earning the attention of the other kids. 

Lucas took over at that point. “We… we had our first… kiss.” he said awkwardly, blushing, with a quiet, soft smile that he shared with Max. He was doing the same thing, and Elle grinned, applauding them. The other kids started to applaud jokingly too. Meanwhile, Dustin and Larissa were exchanging looks. “We did too... earlier... today.” Dustin said quietly, and Will turned to look at them.

“It’s like a double feature!” He joked, slapping his leg, and Elle joined in with a soft laugh. Mike grinned. “Welcome to the dating cult kids, glad to have you amongst our ranks!” He said, deepening his voice for comedic affect, which gained him some laughter from Elle. She understood what a cult was at that point, but she still thought the joke was funny. Of course, Elle thought anything and everything Mike did for comedy was funny. 

Of course, this caused the other kids to blush, and for once Mike felt very confident about his relationship with Elle. The others were awkward now, just as they had been before Elle came back and Mike truly got to express his feelings, but they had something different. Mike kissed the top of Elle’s head and ruffled her hair, and she blushed, grinned, and leaned against him. 

He loved kissing her. The crown of her head was one of his favorite places beside her lips of course. She had soft hair and he loved how she blushed whenever he ruffled her hair, ran her hand through it, or kissed the top of her head. Then, with her lips… well, he couldn’t even begin to think of it. They were so soft and welcoming. Mike could almost always taste maple syrup on them, which made him smile. It was so… like her. Maple syrup, honey, occasionally strawberries. That was what Elle tasted like.

Apparently Elle was thinking similarly as well. Mike tasted like cola, berries, and something else Elle couldn’t quite put her finger on. However, it was so distinct that she would recognize it from anywhere. It was simply described as ‘Mike’.

Meanwhile, the group was getting awkward and tired, so now they were telling other stories. However, it was obvious that Mike and Elle were in their own little worlds, obviously with the other in them. It had become very apparent to the gang that Mike and Elle were inseparable. If they ever did anything in pairs, the first to choose partners were Mike and Elle- with each other, of course. Normally, Lucas, Dustin, and Will would’ve been jealous and annoyed, but they took note of the couple’s actions. They were so… blissful, and happy. Deep down, Will was the jealous one. He secretly wanted their relationship- to be so at peace with the knowledge that you’re in love with someone- your soulmate. Will believed in soulmates, and he wasn’t quite sure if he’d met his yet. Sure, he liked Jennifer, but they didn’t know each other too well. Mike and Elle on the other hand- Will knew for a fact that they HAD to be soulmates. The way they looked at each other, how their hands fit together like matching pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, the way that they kissed when they thought nobody was looking. It was so… perfect, in every way.

Of course, they were yet to get into an argument, which all couples do at some point. However, everybody was glad that day was yet to come. For now, they were the two happiest 13 year olds on the planet. Not for long though, Mike’s 14th birthday was coming up in April. It was barely February, but Elle had been told of the date, and had been thinking about it already. She wanted to get him a present and spend the whole day with him. Not alone of course- she didn’t want to hog him from everyone else. She did want to surprise him, though, and she had been making plans in her head for a while. That day was quite a ways away though. Elle couldn’t get the date out of her mind. ‘April 5th, April 5th, April 5th’ Her mind repeated, like a mantra of some sort. 

Mike was just thinking about Elle- everything about her. She was yet to catch him staring as she was looking into the distance herself at nothing in particular. He was analyzing her features. Every soft, medium-light brown wave that now reached her shoulders. Every sunspot that dotted her face. Every eyelash on those chocolate brown orbs that pulled Mike in every time they met gazes. 

That’s exactly the moment that Michael Wheeler realized how deep he was stuck. He was stuck in quicksand. Quicksand with wavy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Quicksand named Elle. And although she was technically ‘Elizabeth Jane Byers’, he would always know her as Eleven, the girl who saved him and his best friends out of the kindness in her heart. He knew that she was called a monster sometime for the death of several men, but he knew better. Elle was know monster. She did that to save herself. Besides, what monster would save those who betrayed her out of her own goodness? Dustin, Lucas, and even Mike at first, had been judgmental and skeptical of Elle. The girl who had her hair shaved, so Dustin assumed was deaf. The girl who couldn’t speak well, so Lucas assumed she was mental. The girl who couldn’t express what she meant, so Mike assumed she was lying. 

Mike wanted to cry every time he remembered that week. The good parts… well, they were mostly overshadowed. When he wasn’t thinking about Elle and their first kiss, he remembered yelling at her at the top of his lungs, slapping her arm away, and stating that she had blatantly betrayed them. He regretted it all- of course he didn’t really mean it. When he’d found out what her true intentions were, and what she had been actually doing for them all along, he regretted what he had said almost instantly. Especially when she found Will in the sensory deprivation tank in the school gym, risking her own sanity at that point. She saw things in there. The kinds of things that Mike prayed about never having to see in his lifetime. He realized that she had been through too much at her young age. Abuse, assault, harassment. Yet she was strong. She came through like a hero. 

Then he realized something. She was a hero. She was his hero.

Mike hadn’t even noticed what was going on until Elle had nudged him. Apparently someone was asking him a question, because all of a sudden everyone’s eyes were on him. Elle cleared her throat. “Well, we uh… We had our first kiss in November 1983.” She said, looking over at Mike. He was blushing softly but gave her a soft smile and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. 

“In the cafeteria, it was hilarious. Dustin was screaming about the chocolate pudding, and while he was gone, I asked her to the snowball. She was confused, it was so cute, and I had to explain what it means to like someone romantically.” Mike said with a light grin. She was grinning too, blushing as she thought about the memories of that night- well, the good ones. “So, I didn’t know how to do it, and it’s kinda awkward to explain.” He said. “So, I leaned in and kissed her. Oh, and when I pulled back, she had the most adorable smile on her face.” He teased, and Elle teased back. “Meanwhile he looked so confused.” She tried to tease back, but she did know it was true. She had smiled involuntarily after he had kissed her- she literally couldn’t help herself. Her heart had fluttered and her eyes had closed, and when she opened them, she was looking into a paradise of dark brown, also known as the eyes of Mike Wheeler.

“Oh, right, and remember when I was so confused that I thought I’d be your sister?” Elle asked with a soft laugh. Her signature giggle. Mike nodded and laughed softly too. Max was giggling and so were the other kids. “Wait, Elle, you thought you’d be his sister because you liked him more than a friend?” She asked. Elle nodded, rolling her eyes with a grin. “Yeah, it was so stupid. I was really confused.” She explained, squeezing Mike’s hand, which she had been holding for a few minutes.

“You guys are so cute.” Jennifer stated, causing them both to blush. “Save that for Will.” Mike teased, and now the Byers boy was blushing as well. He looked over at Jennifer and awkwardly smiled at her.

Mike and Elle. Dustin and Larissa. Lucas and Max. They’d all had their first kisses, but not Will and Jennifer. Heck, the closest they got was a hug a few weeks back around Christmastime. Will felt pressured, but he knew she wouldn’t make him do anything he was uncomfortable with. Plus, if she did, chances are, Elle would kick her ass.

Okay, Will’s thoughts got a little too far with that, but he still didn’t want to kiss Jennifer Hayes just yet. Sure, she was one of the prettiest girls at their school and SHE was into him, but he wanted to make sure that they truly had chemistry. Just to be sure. Will would never admit it but he was really looking for a relationship like Mike and Elle.

Meanwhile the two were comfortably cuddled up. Elle was in Mike’s lap and was laying her head against his chest. He was leaning into the sofa and she was just sitting there, weaving one of her hands through his hair. The other kids had gotten into conversation about comics, and Elle didn’t read them yet, so she had nothing to discuss. Mike didn’t really read comics either, but Dustin, Larissa, Max, Lucas, and Will did.

Mike had a sudden flashback to when Will had returned from the Upside Down. It was his second day in the hospital and the boys had come to visit him in the hospital. Dustin had brought him the sacred X-Men #134. Will’s face lit up when he saw that Dustin brought it for him, and the two exchanged a hug. “You may not have beaten me fairly,” Dustin began. “But you deserve this buddy.” He said, patting his friend on the back. They spent the rest of that afternoon discussing it, and Mike had felt a little out of place in that conversation. He was still quite depressed about Elle, to nobody’s surprise.

Mike remembered the fateful day when Lucas tried to convince him that Elle was dead. It wasn’t pretty, at all. It was January and Mike was at the memorial bus again, clearing snow off of the door so he could get in. Lucas had apparently followed him there, and stopped him before he could get in. “Don’t do this to yourself, Mike. She’s gone.” He said. Mike had whipped around. “What did you say?” He asked. “I said she’s gone! Okay? Eleven is DEAD.” Lucas snapped. “You’ve been walking around like a zombie lately and we’re all sick of it! You knew her for a week. Sure, she saved our lives. Sure, she did some cool stuff, but ONE WEEK. Come on, Mike! Everyone’s noticed it. Your parents, MY parents, all of us. We’re tired of watching you waste your life away, trudging around here and sulking over some girl!” He fired.

Mike’s blood had turned cold. His eyes were no longer their usual warmth. They were fire now, burning and blazing in his retinas. Suddenly Mike’s fist involuntarily took a swing and just happened to hit Lucas directly in the face, but he didn’t regret it. “Don’t you EVER try and tell me she’s gone, or that she’s just some GIRL!” He spat before opening the door to the bus and closing it behind him as he entered. He watched Lucas spit out some blood before quickly leaving and sank to the ground, holding the dove pendant in his hand. He was crying softly before he put it back where it had been hanging, on the emergency ceiling exit, before sitting down in the drivers’ seat. He hadn’t come home for a few hours that day, and when he finally got back to his house covered in snow and tears, his mother had been worried sick. 

Lucas and Mike had made up of course. They were forced to by Dustin, just like they had done in November when they fought. The last time they’d been in an argument that big was when Lucas accused Mike of stealing his toy car when they were in kindergarten. They hadn’t talked for weeks, when their parents forced them to reconcile, and afterwards they were best friends, just like nothing had ever happened. This time, it wasn’t so easy. Dustin had tried his best to make them have the same spark of friendship they’d had before, but for a while, the fire just wasn’t starting. It was like something had died between the two. Although Mike wouldn’t admit it, he knew he was the only one who still had hope that Eleven would return, and it made him feel distant and cold towards the other members of the gang. He felt like they didn’t understand, and more importantly that they weren’t trying to understand in the first place. 

They made up eventually, of course, as everyone knew they would. Lucas and Mike were friends before they knew anyone else. Since birth pretty much.

Meanwhile, poor Mike was oblivious to the fact that his dad was about to walk out on him. Nobody knew about it except for Karen and Ted themselves. Not for long though, because the papers were nearly completed and would be filed in the town hall soon. After that, Ted was gone. He had planned it all. He would say goodbye in the morning, or not, depending on how he felt, and just leave. Then it was home free from there.

If Mike had known about this, he would’ve stopped him. Not for himself, not for Nancy, but for his mother. She was so alone, and Mike knew it. He didn’t know about the divorce though, and wouldn’t for quite a little while. Karen was in on the little plan as well, and she was covering for Ted under the excuse of ‘Your father is on a business trip and won’t be back for a while.’ 

Back in the present time of the basement group meeting setup, the kids were busy discussing the upcoming Valentine’s Day Dance. Everyone was obviously going with their boyfriend or girlfriend, and they were chatting excitedly about what they were going to wear and the songs that they would request. Mike didn’t want to be boring and cliché by just assuming Elle would go with him because she was his girlfriend, so he figured he would ask her full-on. Steve had asked Nancy to prom the last year by standing outside, on the Wheelers’ front lawn, with a poster with a cheesy joke on it and balloons, but Mike knew he could do so much better than that. He was ready to show Elle just what he would do for her.

He knew exactly what he’d do. He just needed some help, and he knew where to get it. “I’ll be right back, guys.” He said, and ran upstairs to speak with Nancy. “Nance.” He said, knocking on her door as he opened it. She sat up and covered her diary with her pillow, praying that he didn’t see. He did, but he pretended not to out of sheer respect for her privacy. “Hey, I uh… I want to ask Elle to the Valentine’s Day Dance but I don’t want to do anything stupid or boring.” He asked, rubbing his arm. Nancy grinned. “Awww, my baby brother’s getting ready for Valentine’s Day.” She said, slapping his arm where he had rubbed it in a joking manner. He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I don’t want to be like ‘Hey, Elle, want to go to the dance with me’ because I’ve already done that, and it’s super awkward and boring. I want to do something like Steve did last year with the stupid poster.” Mike explained.

She sighed. “Alright, I’m in, just don’t do anything stupid. And head’s up, I’m not doing this for you.” She said. “I’m doing it for Elle because she’s the sweetest thing on this planet and I want to make sure you don’t screw this up.” Nancy joked, slapping her brother on the back as he left.

So, yet another plan was set into motion. Operation Valentine’s Dance. The brother-sister duo was ready to take on another challenge… right?


	28. You're Waffley Cute!

Elle Byers was undeniably and totally bored. She had been sitting around the house for what felt like years, but was only really three hours. Winter break had finally ended, and now the gang was back in school. Everyone except for Elle, of course, who was stuck at home, running around with Joyce every so-often and waiting for 3:15 to approach so she could see her friends again. She knew that they didn’t like school, but she still wished she could be there. Specifically for Mike, who was the one of the group who got the most shit from bullies. He was seen as the leader of the gang, and it was common for him to take the fall for the rest. Elle knew he would probably be feeling worse than usual during the school year due to this, and she felt guilty. 

Elle blamed herself for a lot of things that she shouldn’t have. When Mike cried while Elle was in the Upside Down, she blamed herself for that. She took the fall for Will’s PTSD and experience in the Upside Down. She blamed herself for the death of Martin Brenner and the other Bad Men, as well as Benny, who had just tried to help her. She didn’t necessarily regret killing the Bad Men who had tried to hurt her, but at some points she remembered that they were human beings with families and friends. She had the power to squish them like flies, and she did in the end. But they had abused her and they took the risk willingly. They knew what she was capable of, and they never stood a chance with their toy guns and hazmat suits. Elle gulped as she found herself thinking about this again. She couldn’t… but she was.

Elle wrote down some things in her journal. The page was a to-do list, and she had some things she needed to take care of. Fears she had to conquer. At the top of her list: Visit the grave of Martin Brenner. She didn’t want to, not at all, but she had to pay her respects. Not to him, but to his family. She wanted to see where he lay, 6 feet under the earth, rotting corpse and all. She wasn’t the reason he had died, but she partially took the blame.

What she didn’t know was that the government had made another stuffed corpse for Martin Brenner. This time, for the right reasons. Instead of burying him, they buried plastic and cotton. This was because there was nothing to bury. Martin Brenner’s body was never found, but his remains were seen. The demogorgon had completely destroyed what made up his body, but his lifeless head was seen as well as one of his arms. This had left his wife in ruin, and she stopped talking to everyone. So, it was agreed: he would be buried as a piece of plastic. Elle didn’t know about this, but she still wanted to visit his grave. She just had to find out where it was.

So, Elle got permission from Joyce to go to Hopper’s house. He had the day off for unknown reasons and she knocked on the door after laying her bike down against his trailer. He opened the door and was quite surprised to see the small girl standing outside of his door. “Elle, hi, can I help you with something?” He asked awkwardly, rubbing his head. She nodded. “I need to know where Martin Brenner is buried.” She said with a monotone, emotionless voice. Hop gulped and nodded softly. “Um, okay, hold on a sec. I’m gonna put on my uniform, I’ll be back out in five.” He stated, and Elle nodded, waiting for him. He finally came outside and yawned softly, looking around before catching her eye as she waved. “Here, put your bike in the back of my truck. We’ll drive there, and I can drop you off at your house afterwards.” Hopper said, and Elle nodded, getting into the front seat of the Chief’s car. He began to drive and yawned again before they finally reached the cemetery. It was about ten minutes away, which was relatively close. Hawkins was such as small town that most of it was just forest. So, a large cemetery had been put there to bury dead from all over Indiana, mostly overflow from places like Bloomington, which was a few hours away, but was crowded and busy.

Hopper looked around, trudging through the grass before coming across the sickly familiar headstone. Elle had followed carefully after him and stood before the grave, looking at it through darkened, shadowed eyes. She hated the man who lay dead before her, and she knew that if Hell existed, he’d be there. He deserved to burn in hell for the rest of his life. “Did he… hurt you?” Hopper asked out of the middle of nowhere. Elle looked over at him. “He made others hurt me. When I didn’t do what he wanted in the lab.” She stated, gulping quietly. Hopper nodded, understanding what had gone down. After Will Byers returned and Eleven disappeared, the lab had investigated Hopper for a while before they finally gave up, discovering his limited knowledge of her case. When it had been over six months, the government stopped sending funds to the project all together. Eleven had been their most valuable experiment, the others were simply backups. They couldn’t hold a candle to her power. So, when it was discovered that Project 011 was gone and assumed dead, the government wasn’t happy. The lab had been moved to a completely different state, and the experiments were taken with them, and stayed there, but without funding. Elle never knew the others, but they were all older than her and didn’t have to shave their heads. Most of them were males, there were two females though, and both were twitchy and dark. Everyone looked alike, and sometimes Eleven couldn’t tell who was what gender- everyone was groomed horribly and their hair was thin, patchy, and down to their shoulders. She was the most distinguishable of the group because of her shaved head. 

She remembered how the others treated her. She socialized with them once, and it didn’t go well. She was exposed to them for three minutes over twelve years of loneliness, and it had gone horribly. Eleven was probably 10 at the time when she was put into the room with five other experiments. One had literally crawled over to her and started to poke at her and sniff her. Eleven had backed up nervously, right into another one- a more aggressive male. He had grabbed her and started to shake her before letting out a strange cry. He pushed her to the ground and she, confused, began to move backwards before realizing she was trapped. The other experiments had no intentions of getting along with her. They knew they didn’t have power like her, but in numbers, the had potential. Of course, they couldn’t even compete in numbers, but Eleven didn’t know that, nor did she want to find out. So, the lab men came and whisked her out quickly, locking the door behind her. She was taken back to her “bedroom”, where she laid on her bed, holding the ragged stuffed lion and trembling for hours before it was time for her to try and do something with her powers.

Hopper cleared his throat when Elle began to space out and caught her attention. “Okay, I’m ready to go.” She said, looking away from the grave. She didn’t want to see any more. She couldn’t handle it. So, Hopper nodded and the two walked back through the sea of lifeless bodies before reaching the shore, aka the gate. They exited the cemetery and got into Hopper’s car, Elle putting on her seatbelt as Hopper began to drive. She stared at the cemetery for a minute before looking back in front of herself to watch the road as they drove back to the Byers’ house. She wasn’t sure how she felt about what had just happened. She expected to feel some sort of relief, but all she felt was anger and sadness, because of the memories that haunted her.

They finally arrived back at the house and Elle got out, taking her bike out of the back as well. Hopper waved goodbye and Elle waved back to him before putting her bike outside with Will’s and entering the house. Joyce had lunch ready for her- a simple ham sandwich and some grapes. Elle sat down and began to eat while she read the note sitting beside her.

‘Elle,

I’m at work, I had to cover shifts for my coworker. Sorry honey! Will should be home at 3:15, call me if you need anything. You have my work number.

Love,  
Joyce’

Elle sighed but continued to eat. She was slightly annoyed that Joyce’s coworker had chosen such a perfect time to need her to cover, but it was what it was. So, Elle finished her lunch. She looked over at the clock on the wall, which read 2:17. She had to wait another hour before her friends would finally be home and she could get out of that horrible boredom that confined her during the current times. She was so annoyed that it would be like that for months, and she couldn’t get over it. She couldn’t wait to join them in 9th grade. She just wanted to have her friends around her so she wouldn’t be stuck by herself all day, every day.

After taking a nap on the couch, she heard the door open and excitedly looked up to see Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas enter. “Hey, Elle!” Will greeted. “Sup?” Dustin asked. Lucas high-five-d her as he passed and when their backs were turned, Mike gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, causing them both to blush before he followed the others into the kitchen. They came back a few minutes later with snacks. “Hey, Elle, could you help me with my English homework?” Dustin asked with a frown. The gang was sitting on the floor around Elle, pulling out books and papers from their backpacks. Elle nodded excitedly. It was so boring when the boys did their homework- Elle was always excited to help them, it gave her something to do and made her feel smart for once.

Dustin smiled before Elle walked over and sat down next to him. The two began to chat about the novel that the class was reading, which thankfully, Elle had read in her free time as well. Will had left his novel at the house over the break instead of keeping it in his locker, and Elle had read it within a few days. She explained the questions Dustin had and he talked about his opinion on what he thought the answer was. The two babbled about what was the correct answer for a moment before Dustin gasped. “Ohhh… yeah, you’re right.” He said awkwardly with a smile as he wrote the answer down. Mike rolled his eyes to himself, trying to finish a certain math equation that he was struggling with. He had to do a multi-step equation, which he was terrible at. Elle seemed to sense this and had basically flown over to his side. “Use this distributive property here.” She said, pointing to part of the problem. 

After a few minutes, he had finished the equation. Elle had nothing better to do, so she sat down next to him and looked over his shoulder to check over his answers. She may have been caught up in math, but she was still behind in Science and English, so, she couldn’t join them at school. According to Mr. Clarke who had begun to help tutor her, she would be officially ready to return for 8th grade, but Joyce thought it was a better idea to homeschool her, as 8th grade was the harshest year of middle school, when the girls got meaner, the boys got more annoying, and everyone in general was rotten. So, it was agreed, Elle would return in 9th grade instead of 8th.

Elle had no problem with this, and neither did the boys. Although they wanted her to come to school with them, they had discovered quickly that it was a bad environment for anyone, and judging on how fragile Elle was, they didn’t want to have her anywhere near the kids at their middle school. Especially Troy, who wasn’t to return for a while. He’d been suspended and had to continue his studies at his house. Apparently James brought over his homework every day and he sent it back to the school each morning. 

While Elle was bored in the morning, the gang was in second period. Mike and Dustin sat next to each other in science, and were writing down notes on a sheet of paper to each other. They didn’t have to pass them since they sat next to each other, so they just wrote something, read it, and wrote something back without much movement. Their teacher hadn’t suspected a thing. They were talking about the upcoming Valentine’s Day Dance, which was in around a week and a half. Mike was getting nervous about asking Elle. Dustin had already asked Larissa, who had jokingly said “No, I’m already going with Will.” Of course, she said yes afterwards, and apparently Will and Jennifer were going by default and so were Lucas and Max. Mike knew for a fact that Elle would say yes, but he still wanted to do something less… ordinary. He felt like she deserved to have a special time for just the two of them, at the dance. No Troy, no demogorgon, just them. He was excited, too. 

The bell rang and Dustin and Mike picked up their binders and books, quickly and eagerly walking to third period, where Mike had English with Larissa and Lucas. Dustin had PE with Will. Nobody knew what Jennifer and Max had, but they weren’t together anyways. So, the gang headed to their classes. The whole time, Mike missed Elle. He wanted to spend all day every day with her just like they had over break. He wanted to run around with her, hold hands, go on cheesy little dates, and hang out in his basement. He wanted to teach her D&D so she could actually play instead of sitting there for 10 hours at a time. Speaking of, Mike had been planning a new campaign- his first since Christmas. It was going to span over two days, and he’d been spending all of his time not spent with Elle and the gang working on it. 

Another thing was on Mike’s mind: the girls. He knew that they weren’t “officially” members of the group. That was him, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Elle. It felt strange though- his girlfriend was in his friend group, while his friends’ girlfriends weren’t. But then again, his friends’ girlfriends hadn’t flipped a van to save their asses when a government laboratory was after them. So, Mike decided that no, it wasn’t weird. Elle was one of them. 

So, Mike found himself distracted throughout the lesson and before he knew it, it was time for lunch. He took his books and walked out of the room before Lucas followed after him. “Hey, man.” He said. “You seemed pretty distracted in class. You’re lucky I raised my hand to answer that question about Boo Radley. Mrs. Hemmings was WAITING to jump on your distracted ass.” Lucas joked. Mike rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the coverage, bud. Come on, let’s get to lunch.” He said, and the two walked through the hallways to their lockers.

Mike’s locker was the most organized of the group, and that said a lot, because it was quite messy. His binders were at least put together and he had his books stacked on top of them, but there was nothing unique about it. He didn’t care, and neither did anyone else. To them, lockers were used to throw books in and take them out for classes. Lucas’ locker was slightly less organized than Mike’s, but Dustin’s was the worst. He had all sorts of crap in his locker, and if the boys ever needed to grab food or literally anything else, they just asked Dustin. He had the strangest things, like an extra jacket, a roll of paper towels, and even a flashlight- for no reason.

Mike sat down next to Dustin, who was happily eating a roast beef sandwich. Lucas sat beside Mike, and Will came over to the group moments later and sat on Dustin’s other side. “Hey, guys.” He greeted, red-faced. “Damn, Byers, what happened to you?” Lucas joked. Dustin was also red-faced when he looked up. “We had to do the god damn pacer test.” He said, still panting lightly. “Oh god, not the pacer!” Lucas said, his face draining of color. 

Mike cleared his throat. “The FitnessGram Pacer Test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues. The 20 meter pacer test will begin in 30 seconds. Line up at the start. The running speed starts slowly, but gets faster each minute.” He started to say when Dustin burst out into laughter. He had his low-toned, deep D&D voice. “Mike, why do you even know that?!” Will said through laughs, and Mike shrugged. “You idiot.” Lucas said, slapping him on the arm. Mike looked over at Lucas. “Takes one to know one!” He fired back. It was their second year doing the pacer test- it had just been invented in 1982. And everyone hated it. 

Mike sighed and rolled his eyes, remembering that he and Lucas had PE right after lunch. “Better not eat or we’ll end up spewing chunks.” Lucas noted, and Mike put his sandwich down after nodding. “God, the pacer test is the devil.” He said, and Lucas nodded as well. Will and Dustin looked like they had just seen a ghost, and they were panting softly. “How bad was it?” Mike asked. Will shook his head. “Terrible. Good luck, buddies.” He said with a shrug, causing both Mike and Lucas to groan loudly and look over at each other.

Lunch ended and the two were off to their deaths, as Dustin had said. “Good luuuuuck!” He had crowed after them. When they were out of sight, he looked over at Will. “They’re so fucked.” He said, and the two started laughing and exchanged a high five. So, Mike and Lucas dragged themselves off to the school gym. They walked out of the locker room in their PE uniforms, awaiting their death. The teacher walked in. “Alright kids, today we’ll be doing the Fitnessgram Pacer Test.”

Twenty minutes later Mike was dying, Lucas was already dead, and both were wondering how some kids were still running. Mike was tall and lanky, so it was easy for him to run. Lucas had already stopped his test, while he was continuing. Finally, Mike stopped and walked over to Lucas after going through his second late beep, which meant he was done. He sat down, panting, as they watched the other kids keep running. “How…” Lucas began through heavy breaths. “is SHE still going?” He asked, pointing to one girl who had barely broken a sweat. “I think she’s on track, but dear god, I hate this class so much.” Mike said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Finally, the other kids finished. Mike and Lucas’ breathing had calmed down and a lot of other kids were off talking now and getting water. “You should try track, sometime.” Lucas said to Mike, who started to laugh before seeing his friend’s expression. “Wait, you’re serious?” He asked. “Well, yeah. You were really fast at the beginning.” He suggested. Mike laughed softly and rolled his eyes. “But I slowed down. Track… I just don’t have time. Plus, I hate running.” He said, nudging Lucas.

Class ended after the coach gave them their scores and the boys left, changing into their regular clothes and walking back through the hallways to put their gym bags in their lockers. They saw Will walk over to them, lightly punching them both in the shoulder. “Sooooo, how’d it go?” He mocked, and Mike rolled his eyes, taking out his History textbook. “Oh, it went sooooooo well.” Mike replied sarcastically, smirking. Will rolled his eyes back at him. “Well at least you didn’t have to go to the nurse. I started wheezing towards the end and I had to go get my inhaler.” He said, and Lucas slapped him on the back playfully. “Well, at least you’re alive!” He joked. Will rolled his eyes. “At least you don’t have exercise-induced asthma!” Will fired back. Lucas sighed. “Fair point, fair point.” He said, curling his lip jokingly.

The three walked down the hallway, exchanging laughs, before parting ways to go to their next classes. 

And just like that, the day was over and they were finally free. Mike was the first to get on his bike, followed by Dustin, then Lucas, and finally Will after a few minutes of waiting outside. “What took you so long, Byers?” Dustin asked. Will sighed. “Oh, you know, I’M GOING ON A DATE WITH JENNIFERRRRRR!” He half-bragged, half-screamed. It gained a few odd looks from other kids passing by, and Will blushed from embarrassment. Lucas slapped his shoulder. “Nice!” He said, grinning. Mike chuckled. “Awww, look at Will. You’re a man now.” He said, deepening his voice. Will laughed softly. “Nah, I’m still just a boy!” He replied, making his voice high pitched to respond. “We all know the qualifications to become… manly.” He said, then deepening his voice like Mike had done, but it ended with an awkward squeak. Will still hadn’t hit puberty- his voice was higher than the others and he was smaller, but they were barely 13, so it was fine. He wouldn’t take too much longer. Dustin had hit it the hardest, having his voice deepen quite a bit and having a growth spurt. Mike came after, but had less change, except for growing a crap ton. Lucas had his spurt in muscle, while Will was still short and willowy. “Your day will come, Byers.” Dustin said with a chuckle.

The kids biked back towards their houses, ready to do their homework and eagerly tell Elle about their day. Mike missed her, and he felt odd about it because it’d been less than 24 hours since he’d seen her. Still, it felt strange not spending the day with her. It’d been so easy to see her during Winter Break as they had all hours of the day to do so. Now, he’d just have to settle for after school and weekends. 

The boys were all panting by the time they reached the Byers’ house because of the pacer test earlier that afternoon.

That’s when they did their homework, and they had all finished within an hour later. Elle had been sitting on the couch while Mike was on the floor next to her towards the end of the hour and he reached up to hold her hand while he read the novel that they were assigned to read for English. 

Then they were done, and it was time for Mike’s quickly thought-out plan to go through. He had communicated with Nancy that they’d do it that afternoon… it was honestly a horrible idea in her opinion but she figured Elle wouldn’t care. 

So, Mike started by clearing his throat. “I’m gonna go outside, I think my tire is flat.” He explained. It was known that the Byers had an old, spare air pump outside that the boys always used to inflate the tires on their bikes, which was extremely convenient for Mike. After seeing everyone’s nods, he exited to see Nancy’s car in the driveway. 

Turns out, the plan was not as bad as he thought. Nancy gave Mike the awkward poster they’d made earlier and the flowers he’d bought for her the day before. He called her outside and she saw, laughing at the poster. 

“You’re WAFFLEY cute! Valentine’s Day Dance?” It read, and Mike pulled out a box of eggos and flowers from behind his back. Elle couldn’t resist, so of course she said yes. The boys thought it was adorable, and Nancy did too. After she left, Elle walked inside, put the flowers in a vase proudly on display, popped two eggos into the toaster, and shared with Mike while they talked about how Mike came up with the idea.


	29. The Prank

It was finally the weekend and Elle was growing suspicious. Joyce had been spending a lot of time over with Hopper, and she’d even seen him over at their house frequently. She knew something was up. She would have asked Will about it, but she knew he’d get awkward and say nothing was going on no matter what, so she enlisted Mike in her expedition to find the truth. 

She made sure Joyce was gone before picking up her Supercom to call her boyfriend. Joyce was running to the grocery store to get food for the family while Will was over at Dustin’s to swap comics and Jon was on a date with Nancy, so Elle was home alone. “Mike? Are you there? It’s Elle. Over.” She said into the Supercom, and a few moments later her reply came. 

“Hey, Elle. What’s up? Over.” Mike responded. He was sitting in his basement, writing down a new campaign when she had contacted him. He had moved over to lay down on the couch on his stomach with his legs in the air like a teenage girl talking to her best friend. 

“I think something’s going on with my mom and the chief. Over.” Elle said softly, tapping her foot on the ground lightly. Mike nodded on the other side of their communication. “Okay. Want me to come over? We can spy on them like we did with Nancy and Jonathan. Over.” He said with a chuckle, and Elle smirked, giggling softly. “Yeah, sure, Casanova. Over and out.”

“I’ll be over in fifteen minutes. Over and out.” Mike said, putting his Supercom down. Elle did the same thing and stood up. She was feeling slightly odd, wearing her pajamas, as it was 11 am. She felt like she should wear something decent for Mike, so she pulled on an orange, blue, and white jumper and a pair of jeans before tying her brunette waves up with a scrunchie. Anyone would’ve thought she looked like the epitome of the 80s.

She waited around for a few minutes before he arrived and she grinned, opening up the door when he knocked. He looked at her, absorbing her appearance for a minute, his jaw basically dropping. “Wow, Elle, you look…” He began. Elle was blushing lightly, moving over for him to enter the house without her blocking him. “Pretty.” He said, which he’d found was one of her favorite words. She smiled and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him, but found she was too short even then. He got her idea and bend over just a tiny bit to give her the satisfaction of reaching his cheek. She gave him a soft peck on his freckled skin before the two went back to her room. 

She sat down on her bed. “Okay, so they’ve been spending a ton of time together, and it’s really weird. I’ve never caught them doing anything romantic… yet. I think it’s because I’ve been around for the most part, but he’s still here at least three times a week.” She said, and Mike nodded. “Something’s up. Last time I checked, the chief wasn’t big on being friends with people, so there’s no way they don’t have something going on. But how do we catch them in the act?” Mike asked, pondering his mind for a minute. Elle grinned. “We hide and eavesdrop. There are a ton of places in the house where we can hear what’s going on but also stay hidden. For example, under the kitchen counter? The area is completely clear under there. I’ve been able to lay down with room to spare.” Elle said, and Mike nodded again. “Okay, we can do that. Let’s avoid her bedroom though, that’s a hot mess I don’t think either of us want to get into.” Mike replied as Elle nodded quickly.

“I can say I went to your house on a note and we can hide under there, but we’ll have to be quick. She left almost an hour ago and I’m betting she’ll come by with him today, since he hasn’t been here in two days.” She began. “But we’ll have to get settled in now in case they come in.” She finished, and Mike nodded. “Okay.” He said and she grabbed his hand, leading him into the kitchen. Elle grabbed a sticky note and jotted down a few quick words, as planned. After, she squatted and he did the same as she opened the cabinet door to reveal an isle of empty space.

Mike crawled in first to make sure Elle would have room before she came in after him. They were quite close, but neither of them minded at all. They were basically spooning, and Mike wrapped his arms around Elle, pressing a soft kiss against the side of her cheek. She smiled and turned her head to catch his eye before they heard the door unlocking. She whispered under her breath “I told you” before they heard Hopper’s voice. 

“Aren’t your kids home?” Hop’s voice was gruff as always. Joyce sighed. “Just Elle, but last time I checked, she was barely awake. Come on, we’ve got time.” She said, and the kids could hear a quick kiss. Elle was rather disturbed to find out that she was right. She heard two pairs of footsteps walking towards them and covered her mouth to keep from making any sounds. Well- it wasn’t her hand, it was Mike’s. His other hand was around her waist, holding her close to him. She was blushing lightly. She heard Joyce chuckle with satisfaction as she picked up the piece of paper. “See? She’s not even home. Elle went to the Wheelers’.” Joyce said, showing Hopper the sticky note. 

“Alright, honey.” He said with a chuckle, and Elle cringed, turning over to look at Mike. He was cringing as well. “Come on, Hop, my bed, now.” Joyce said, almost growling, and Hopper chuckled before they seemingly dashed into Joyce’s bedroom.

Elle pressed her lips together from how awkward the situation was and looked over at Mike with wide eyes. He sighed but then realized that if they got out, it’d make too much noise. If they talked- too much noise. They’d get caught. They heard Joyce’s door close, which made it a little bit better. “I’ll go out and check.” Mike whispered quietly, pressing his lips near Elle’s ear to transfer the sound easier… no other reason.

But when Mike began to move over to get out, he slipped lightly, almost falling on top of Elle. She had rolled over to look up at him, and he had caught himself with his elbows without making a sound, luckily. They were both blushing furiously, their bodies almost completely pressed against each other before Mike reached down and ended the awkwardness.

He kissed her, but it wasn’t like their other kisses. It was more… passionate. He knew for a fact that they weren’t going to go any farther than a kiss, but it felt… right. Eventually he gave up on staying so far from her. He held both of her hands and moved them upwards, almost pinning her, and he opened his mouth. Elle felt this against her lips and opened hers as well, slightly in confusion but mostly because of instinct. Their tongues touched for a split second before they noticed the sound of the cabinet door opening slightly. They both opened their eyes and pulled away, looking at each other awkwardly. “We have to sneak out.” Mike explained, and Elle nodded in agreement. “Okay, just go to my room and sneak out of the window. It’s open, I almost always have it open for fresh air.” Elle whispered furiously. 

Mike managed to get out and tip toe into Elle’s room without being noticed, and she did the same thing. Elle cringed when she bumped her heel against the window on her way out but she was sure Joyce didn’t hear her. So, they made it, and ran off to grab their bikes. They were going to Dustin’s to get Will.

On the way, Mike and Elle were quiet. “Oh my god, I can’t believe…” Mike started to mutter. “With the chief…” Elle finished for him, and the two exchanged a slightly disgusted look before bursting into laughter and almost crashing their bikes. Elle wiped a tear from her eye as they kept laughing. “OH MY GOD!” Mike screamed hysterically, slapping his knee as he rolled off of his bike onto the soft grass, and Elle did the same thing a second later after seeing him do so, which made her laugh even harder. “YOUR MOM IS SCREWING THE CHIEF!” He laughed, and Elle was out of breath. Her stomach hurt so badly from laughing but she just couldn’t stop. 

Elle decided to crack a joke. “Hey, do you think they looked for Will up in there?” She said, and Mike started screaming from laughter. The two were basically wheezing, grabbing their stomachs as they rolled around in the grass. “Oh my goooooood.” Elle puffed out, sitting up and wiping a few stray tears from her eyes that had fallen while she was laughing. Mike grinned and pulled a few fallen leaves out of her hair and she laughed when she saw those. The two hopped back onto their bikes and went over to their friend’s house to tell them the news. 

They knocked on the door and when Dustin answered excitedly. “Hey guys! Wow, no offense but you two look like you just ran a marathon.” He said with a low chuckle. Mike rolled his eyes and smirked. “Well, we need to talk about that…” He said awkwardly, and Elle leaned against him slightly.

“Oh my god…” Dustin began. “OH MY GOD!” He finally said, and turned to see the other boys in the living room. “GUYS THEY SCREWED!” Dustin said, and Mike’s jaw dropped. “What?! What- no! No, no, no, no!” He started, and Elle finished. “NO.” She said, trying to make it as clear as possible. “Wheeler, are you screwing my sister?” Will said, looking disgusted as he opened the door. “NO.” Mike replied loudly. He looked over at Elle and the two burst into laughter for the second time, Elle almost falling down the stairs as she backed up to support herself against the wall. “Then why do you two look so… ehhhhh?” Lucas suggested.

“Because… we…. w-w-were laughing t-the whole… time on, on our w-way!” Mike managed to laugh out. He helped Elle up, who had toppled over without a scratch, and she wiped another stray tear from her eye. “I can’t believe… you guys… t-thought we were sc… screwing!” Elle laughed out. “But on a more serious note, we know someone who uh… is.” Mike said, and Elle’s laughter died down. “Ohhh, yeah, Will, can we chat with you for a second?” She asked awkwardly, and Will frowned, nodding. “I’ll be right back, guys.” He told Lucas and Dustin before walking over to a spot in Dustin’s front yard out of earshot from the other guys. “What’s up?” He asked.

Elle gulped. “Yeah, um, we found out that mom is with the chief. Like… they’re screwing and calling each other ‘honey.” She answered. Instead of laughing like Mike and Elle had, Will rolled his eyes and growled under his breath. “Oh my god, of course she is.” He hissed lightly. Elle looked over at him. “What’s wrong?” She asked, and he looked up. “Mind if I have a moment with her, Mike?” He asked, and Mike nodded disappearing into the house with the other boys. 

“So, the chief is married. Which means he can only be with one woman, and that’s the one who he married. My point is, he didn’t marry our mom, so that means he’s cheating on his wife.” He explained, but Elle didn’t understand.

“Let’s say you married Mike.” He said, and she blushed. She knew what marriage was, of course, after a few explanations. “But Mike fell in love with another girl and started going out and having sex with her behind your back instead of with you.” He explained. Elle gulped as she began to understand what was going on. “So mom with the chief is a bad thing?” She asked, and Will nodded. Eventually, Will and Elle went home after saying goodbye to Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. On their way out, they heard Lucas shout after Will. “YOU OWE ME TEN BUCKS!” Will huffed. “Fine!” 

“What was that all about?” Elle asked, raising one eyebrow. Will slowly looked over at her. “Okay, we kind of all made a bet on when you guys were gonna lose your virginities, and I betted it would be before the Valentine’s Day Dance, so I have to pay them.” He said with a sigh. Elle lightly slapped him over the head. “Will, whyyyyyyyy?” She whined. “You guys are always talking about sex. Some of us would rather take our time.” She said, trying to sound matter-of-fact. The girls had told her that it would be better to wait to have sex than to do it now, even if she really liked Mike. So, she decided it would be a good idea to wait. Plus, he didn’t really seem to be that fast to jump on the bandwagon. Of course, they’d all heard Lucas’ summer camp story. 

It was the night of the dance, and while everyone else was off celebrating, Lucas had snuck out of the hall to go meet up with his summer crush, Catherine. She had been waiting for him by the lake, and since it was night and everyone was dancing, nobody else was around. It had started with a kiss and escalated quickly, but Lucas thought it’d be better to do it then since it was the last night of camp, and he’d probably not see her until the next year.

Elle thought it was strange that he’d lost his virginity at such a young age- “You’re middle schoolers for Christ’s sake.” Nancy had said, and Elle had agreed. Even so, Nancy had slipped a condom into Elle’s hands and when she saw the square, she got surprised and threw it across the room. Nancy had never laughed so hard in her life as she tried to explain what a condom was in decent detail. 

Elle had an idea though- to get her brother out of trouble. She’d go over it with Mike first, but it would be the perfect way to keep him from losing the bet. So, when she got home, she called Mike on the Supercom and asked if she could come over the next morning, early, so no one else would be there. He agreed suspiciously and she smirked to herself.

That night, she went to go to sleep when she heard Will’s voice as he talked to his mother. They were arguing, and she knew it was about her relationship with Hopper. Eventually she heard Will’s door slam and shivered lightly, pulling the covers up to her chin as she finally fell asleep.

Elle woke up the next morning with a devilish grin and a look of satisfaction. She dressed herself and walked over to her desk, opening the drawer to pull out a familiar neon-colored square before sliding it into her pocket and heading off to write a note for Joyce before going to Mike’s house. When she opened the basement door, he was sitting there in his pajamas, half-awake, yawning lightly. 

“Hey, Elle. What’d you wanna talk about?” Mike asked, tiredly. Elle grinned and pulled the condom out of her pocket, but before she could explain, Mike was wide eyed. “Elle… um, what? We’re so young like, I really like you and all but um…” He began, stuttering. Elle rolled her eyes. “Relax, Mike, I feel the same way. We’re not going to actually use it, but we’re gonna prank Lucas, Will, and Dustin, okay?” She asked, sitting down next to him with a smirk. He got what she was saying and grinned. “Elle, you’re evil.” He said with a chuckle and she huffed, satisfied. “I know.”

So, the plan was set into motion. Elle tore open the condom packet and threw the rapper on the floor messily where it was in plain sight. They tossed the actual condom in the trash before Elle went upstairs to change into one of Mike’s old t-shirts. She was, luckily, not caught on her way down the stairs, and she went back to sit down next to Mike. Lucas came over every Sunday morning, and this one would be no different. So, when he opened the basement door, Elle and Mike were in quite the compromising position. Both were pretending to be asleep, Mike’s arm slung around Elle. He had taken his shirt off but was still wearing pants. It wasn’t that obvious because there was a blanket slung over them. Lucas gasped and almost screamed before running off and shutting the door quickly behind him. Elle and Mike sat up and high five-d quickly, grinning to themselves. Elle pulled her clothes back on and so did Mike, and they sat down on the couch, talking away.

A few hours later, Dustin, Lucas, and Will came over. Will looked triumphant, Dustin looked shocked, and Lucas looked traumatized. It was a very awkward fifteen minutes before Dustin broke the silence. “You two screwed!” He said, and got up, giving Mike a high five and Elle a hug. It was very confusing but Elle and Mike just chuckled lightly. Of course, no one knew that nothing happened except for Elle and Mike, but they’d find out about it later. Will was grinning with satisfaction but also had a look of awkward disgust in his eyes. “Wait, Lucas told us, did you do it… last night?” He asked hesitantly. Mike looked over at Elle, who answered for him. “Yes.” She said. Mike had to build onto the story when Dustin asked what it was like. “Um… good?” He said. They were digging themselves into a deep hole, but it would only make it funnier for when the boys found out.

They did, eventually. Three days later, a few hours before the Valentine’s Day Dance, Elle and the boys had all gone to Lucas’ house to relax before they parted ways to get ready. Mike and Elle were holding hands before he cleared his throat to get the other boys’ attention. “You have been pranked.” He said flatly. Elle joined in. “Bamboozled, tricked, fooled.” She added dramatically. Lucas looked over at them. “What are you talking about?”

“You think we actually screwed? Nancy gave Elle a condom and she ripped it open and put the wrapper on the floor.” Mike said, laughing softly. It was Elle’s turn to join in on the inevitable laughter. “Oh, I came over that morning early and we set everything up, and after you left, I just hung out with Mike.” She said, grinning. The two had begun to laugh just like they had a few days earlier, in bursts of tears and knee-slapping. Will’s mouth was wide open, and Dustin had joined in on the laughter. Lucas looked like he was going to cry because of the fact that he was actually outsmarted by a girl who’d been raised in a lab and his nerdy friend Mike. 

There were many laughs that night, but that was probably the funniest thing that had happened to any of them, and everyone agreed that Elle was, in fact, a genius.


	30. The Clock is my Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone gets ready for the Valentine's Day Dance, but Mike gets ready too early.

Mike Wheeler sat to himself on his bed. He was wearing the suit his mother had basically forced him to put on and was fumbling with the tie, as usual. As he sat there, he began to think about what Elle was doing. What she was wearing, what she'd done with her hair, her eyes, her lips, her nose... He got a bit distracted before Nancy came knocking on the door for her 'Hey little brother, if you hurt Elle I'll snap your neck' chat. Mike had been waiting for it all day and the dreaded moment was finally hear. She came inside and chuckled, seeing him struggling to get on his baby blue tie, which he'd gotten to match Elle's dress.

 

Nancy sat down in front of him and proceeded to properly put on her brother's tie, to which he blushed from embarrassment. "I could've done that by myself." He muttered, and Nancy chuckled to herself. "Yeah, right, Mike. Anyways, Jon and I are going to be around the school the whole time. If anything goes wrong, just come find us." Nancy told him, making sure to look him deep in the eyes. Mike nodded with a gulp. They both knew what had happened the last time the group split up at a dance and the two teenagers were canoodling in the gym with the other high schoolers. Nobody wanted a repeat of the 7th grade Snowball. Elle had healed, but was still in therapy, and nobody wanted to push her limits of comfort. Mike knew he wouldn't be there, but he swore to himself that if he saw Troy, he'd 'beat that bastard's ass' as he had told Dustin. For now, nothing of the sort was happening. Mike was fine. His friends were fine. Most importantly, Elle was fine.

 

Speaking of, the girl was taking a quick nap. She'd gotten back from telling the boys about the prank when she felt quite tired. She figured she'd get an hour of sleep to regain some energy for the big night. She yawned before laying down on her bed. Meanwhile, Will was tiptoeing through the hallway, trying to find the flowers he'd gotten for Jennifer on the way home desperately while trying not to wake up his sister. Elle could be quite hard to wake up at times, and extremely easy during others. When she had nightmares, she'd go at least another day without sleeping. Joyce didn't know about this, but it was a big deal, and it was really taking a toll on Elle. Will knew because sometimes he'd hear her, and go comfort her. He was a night owl and barely ever went to sleep before midnight. So, when his sister would wake up shaking, he'd run into the room to be with her. It's what he did as a brother and as a friend. None of the other boys knew about this, and Elle made Will promise not to tell them. She was lucky not to have nightmares during the nights she slept over, and when she did, she made sure to keep quiet. She'd frequently go to the restroom and wash the tears off of her cheeks during those nights, but the boys were always asleep. They were peaceful in their own bliss, and Elle definitely didn't want them to worry about her. She figured she'd caused them enough trouble.

 

So, Will finally found the bouquet of wildflowers and put it into a vase. The dance was in two hours, and he wasn't even dressed. He knew he had time, but he was still worried. Meanwhile, he had guessed Elle would be the one freaking out. Pulling on her dress, making sure every piece of fabric was in place, perfectly applying makeup, all of those sorts. However, she was the calmest of anyone. Even Joyce was running around at this point, making sure Will's tie was in sight and out of the dog's reach. It was a known fact that Bubba had an eye for anything decent. He'd chew shoes, ties, shirts, even paper. In the beginning of 6th grade, Will had to explain that his dog literally ate his homework. When his teacher called his mother after not believing him, she confirmed that it was, in fact, true.

 

That hour passed, and Joyce knocked on the door to Elle's room to wake her up. She heard her daughter stir and get up before leaving to go see if Will needed help getting dressed. She had no doubt Elle was capable of getting any garment on, even those with strange zippers and ruffles. She was extremely independent and could get herself through many situations that Joyce definitely couldn't have at her age. Elle was used to being independent though. She had taken care of herself for a while when she was in the Upside Down. Her hair had begun to grow out, and she instinctively ran her hand through the tangles every now and then. She knew the water was probably contaminated but washed the dirt off of her body from time to time. That was then, though. Elle never thought about the Upside Down.

 

There were things she never told a soul. Things she vowed to keep to herself. She knew if she told anyone, Will would find out. If he knew what he'd really been hiding from, he would've had nightmares for years. Elle didn't want that for him. In all honesty, she didn't even know what exactly she was running from. But it was smarter than the Demogorgon. Smarter than the bad men. Almost as smart as her. It had multiple heads and long, spider-like legs. It's roars were more like screams, pitched and just about as irritating as possible. It killed other monsters in the Upside Down for food, and Elle managed to go without it spotting her. It could track down a Demogorgon in minutes. Of course, Elle was terrified of the Demogorgons. There were three others that she had come across, and she'd been chased down by each one of them. They were much bigger than her, though, so she could get into tiny spaces easily and they'd give up after a while. Elle was terrified of small spaces now. The only small areas she was okay with were Mike's closet, bathrooms, and the crawlspace under the kitchen cabinet where she'd hidden with Mike when they found out about the Hopper-Joyce relationship.

 

Elle had lost a lot of blood in the Upside Down. She frequently tripped over the overgrown vines and kudzu while running or walking through anywhere, really, and would get lots of cuts and scrapes. When she'd returned from the Upside Down, she'd gotten quite a few stitches and had many bandages. They were almost always covered by her clothes, which she was glad about. If the boys or her family had seen her real bruises, she would have been treated much more fragile-like. Elle hated being treated like she was fragile. It made her feel weak. But from a more real standpoint, Elle WAS fragile. Her mental state was just now recovering, and her physical state was doing much better. However, she was a petite girl and could be taken down by just about anyone if it wasn't for her powers. Speaking of, Elle practiced every now and then.

 

She had used her powers very frequently in the Upside Down. To block the path of the monster chasing her. To open the gate home. To close it behind her. She remembered exactly what had happened that day in the moment there, as she sat on her desk, running a brush through her lightly sleep-tangled hair. Elle smiled softly to herself as she recollected the memories of that day.

 

It was August 15, 1984. Elle didn't know that at the time, of course, but she found out later from Mike the date that she'd returned. Apparently he'd saved the date and knew it by heart. She did too at that point in time.

 

Elle woke up that morning feeling more determined than usual. She looked outside of Castle Byers to see if anyone, or anyTHING specifically, was there. No monsters. No demogorgons. No giant spider-legged creature. Elle was safe. She looked around again before walking forward and trying to locate one of her old crawlspaces. She realized that wouldn't do. She couldn't open a gate in a place she didn't know how to get around in the other dimension. So, she knew just where to go.

 

Elle's feet had hurt so badly. She walked though, with pep in her step, towards the junkyard. As she approached, she saw the large bus, which had been flipped onto it's side by the Demogorgon triplets after Elle made the mistake of hiding in there once. She moved to the area where she had once thrown Lucas onto, and concentrated every fiber of her being onto the large sheet of metal. She was going to open that gate. She was going to find Mike Wheeler. She was going to go back home. She was not going to live in that horrible lab. She would never surrender to Martin Brenner. She was not going to let those mouth-breathers hurt her friends. She knew what she needed to do. And she was going to do it.

 

The gate was extraordinarily hard to open. Elle was screaming louder than she thought she could. More blood than ever fell down her nose and ears, and she was beginning to feel like she was melting. She kept at it though. She wouldn't give up. She was losing hope when the thought of Mike Wheeler hit her like a ton of bricks. When he had pressed his mouth against hers... When he let her into his house... When they held hands as they ran through the hallway. She thought about him and Dustin and Lucas, and even about Will who she'd only seen once. She was ready. She could do it.

 

The gate opened after the most agonizing three minutes of Elle's life. She nearly passed out right there, but she dragged herself through the portal and into the real world. She smiled weakly as she breathed in the actual air. She felt less toxic as she felt the grass in her hands. She wanted to cry from happiness, but then she had another awful thought. She still had to close the gate. The monsters would track her down within minutes and come back into the world if she didn't keep them out. She braced herself but couldn't get off of the ground, so she moved so her legs were behind her and dug her feet into the dirt so that she wouldn't fall back. Elle focused her mind on the gate and let out a screech as the metal sheet began to change and the gate closed after another four minutes. The Demogorgons were gone. The spider-legged thing was gone. The Upside Down was gone. She was safe, and her friends were safe. That was all that mattered. Elle dragged herself onto the bus, feeling weaker than usual. She reached up to grab onto the metal sheet, or what was left of it. She pulled herself to her feet, but not before nearly fainting. Her powers had gotten better, but they weren't that strong. She fell onto the sheet and that's how she earned the large gash on her side. She covered her mouth to keep from screaming as she held her side, blood dripping through the already dirty, ragged flannel that she had worn. She knew it was Hopper's, but still felt strange about wearing it. 

 

Elle got into the bus and took off the flannel, using it to instinctively stop the bleeding. She couldn't use her powers to keep the blood from coming out, she was too weak. That's why she fell asleep in the bus, and was so glad to hear a familiar voice outside. She had sat up so quickly she nearly opened the gash again. Then, she saw the dark-skinned boy coming onto the bus. "L... Lu... Lucas?" She managed to squeak out. Then it was hugs, hospitals, home, and HIM. Mike. She was happier than she had been in a long time to see the raven-haired, stubborn, freckle-kissed 12-year-old. 

 

Elle snapped back into the present reality as she gazed over at the baby blue, halter top dress that she had hanging up in her closet. She smiled and got up, taking it out and stripping down to her underwear before pulling the dress on. It was very flattering on her body shape, with light curves beginning to form as she hit puberty. It was a fit-and-flare dress, so it was more tight around her chest and torso, but flared out loosely around her waist and legs. It was short and ended about five inches above her knees, but Joyce said she looked fine in it, and if any boys tried to make a move, to punch them in the face. Or have Mike do it for her. Elle had laughed at that comment, mostly because she knew Mike probably would if any other guys from his school even approached Elle. She didn't fully understand the concept of jealousy, but from what she had heard, it was quite funny.

 

She proceeded to put on her makeup. It was nothing fancy, just some cinnamon-brown, matte eyeshadow to make her eyes pop and had put on a layer of mascara. Elle wore cherry chapstick on her lips- she didn't think she needed anything too bold. Elle didn't want to attract a lot of attention, in fact, that was the last thing she wanted. So, she went with something subtle and natural.

 

For shoes, Elle wore a pair that Joyce bought for her. They were a pair of black kitten heels, and Elle absolutely loved them. She wasn't completely used to walking in heels, so Joyce figured it would be better to start her off with some 2 inch heels instead of 4, like some girls her age were wearing, which everyone thought was absolutely ridiculous, including Elle. 

 

While his girlfriend was getting ready a mile and a half away, Mike Wheeler was growing impatient. He wanted nothing more than to rush to her front door with flowers in hand and escort her early, but he didn't want to seem too eager. Apparently, that made him look like a loser, according to Nancy. So, he decided to wait. It wasn't like he even had a choice though, he had literally nothing better to do. The boys said they'd call him on the Supercom when they were ready, and so far, no one had called. So, it was just him sitting there with his older sister, talking about Elle and dances and things that Mike never even imagined that he'd be talking about with his older sister. 

 

Eventually something embarrassing came up, but it wasn't what Mike had expected at all. "Mike, listen, I found an unused condom in the basement bathroom and you better tell me why. If you two are going to do it, pleeeease at least use protection, okay? I've heard all sorts of shit about how its not the same with it, but for God's sake, Mike, if you get her pregnant so help me I will skin you. I don't care if you're my brother, Elle's too young to be anywhere near children. I don't even think she's started her fucking period." Nancy lectured and Mike's face turned bright red. "Um, Nance..." He started, but she interrupted. "No, Mike. I have some spared in my room, you can have them. Just make sure they aren't expired and please don't do anything stupid, okay?" She asked, preparing to give Mike all of her sex secrets. "If she looks uncomfortable, don't do it. If she says no, don't do it. If she looks happy, you're doing something right. Also, it hurts the second time too, so just prepare her for that, okay?" Mike was blushing uncontrollably now, his whole face redder than a cherry tomato. "Nancy, we haven't... we never did anything. It was uh... it was a prank on Lucas, Dustin, and Will. Elle's idea. They made this stupid bet on when we'd lose our virginities and Elle wanted to get back for it." He explained. Nancy's face was red now, realizing she'd just spilled out strange information that was uncomfortable for her to even say, and her brother didn't even need it.

 

"Oh..." She said awkwardly. "Well then... that's actually great because I was going to go off on your ass about how irresponsible unprotected sex was, but I guess that saves an awkward discussion from both of us." She said, gulping. Nancy was red-faced and so was Mike. He laughed a little bit. "Wow, I can't believe you even thought we... wow. The boys thought the same thing. We uh, told them it was a prank today, but it was really funny." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. They were still siblings, they still argued and did stupid things to eachother, like pranks and name-calling. But after November 1983, they had really bonded more. They'd warmed up to eachother, and had begun to talk to eachother more. 'No more secrets.' Like Nancy had said. This was just an interesting discussion though. 

 

Both siblings were laughing softly now. "Okay, well just make sure you don't do anything stupid if you two ever do actually, uh.. DO IT anytime soon. Or later." Nancy said. Mike nodded. "Yeah, well, we talked about it after the prank and decided neither of us want to do it anytime soon." He said. Nancy nodded. "That's actually... really mature of you two, Mike. I'm proud." Nancy said, hugging him lightly. Mike blushed from embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah..." He muttered through his teeth. She chuckled and patted his back. "Alright, we've got ten minutes before Jon comes by with Elle. You got the flowers, right?" She asked, and he nodded. "Yep, they're in the kitchen." He explained. "Good. Don't screw this up, Mikey." She joked, getting up. 

 

Mike gulped, secretly praying that he wouldn't do exactly what his sister just said. He wanted to make it the perfect night for Elle. He and Nancy had planned it out, and he knew what he needed to do. Mike had learned how to be the perfect gentleman for Elle. He’d hold doors for her, give her his jacket if she got cold, and make sure she was doing alright before worried about himself. Nancy had taught him all of that, except for the last part. Elle was always his priority over himself. Mike just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly for her. He knew she wanted normalcy, and he figured it would be the perfect opportunity to give her a normal night- no Troy, no Bad Men or Papa, no Demogorgon. Just Mike, Elle, and their friends with their own dates. He wanted to give her what she deserved, but he couldn’t do that. Well, what he thought she deserved. In Mike’s eyes, Elle deserved the world. The moon, the sun, the stars, each comet in the distance, every planet, the galaxies that spotted the universe like the sunspots that freckled his cheeks. He’d give it all to her. But for now, he hesitantly settled on the perfect night at the dance. 

 

Jonathan had knocked on Elle’s door to let her know it was time to go. She got up, checking over her appearance one last time in the mirror before leaving. Joyce let out a quick gasp, looking at Elle. “Oh, baby, you look amazing!” Joyce said, smiling at her daughter, who did a quick twirl for her. Elle blushed but smiled back and Will nodded as well. “Yeah, Elle, you look great! Mike’s gonna die when he sees you.” He said, nudging her arm. She blushed again but smiled back at him. “Yeah, yeah. Well you’ll probably die when you see Jenny.” She replied, and Will’s cherry red cheeks left her satisfied. “Do you know what she’s wearing?” Will asked, trying to bother Elle into giving him answers about his little crush. She shrugged. “I’ve got no idea.” She said with a smirk. Jonathan came out of his room with his camera slung over his shoulder. “Alright, kiddos. Off to the Wheelers’.” He said, grinning softly. Joyce had requested that he took as many pictures as the kids would possibly let him take before they left for the dance. He had to swear to her that he would before she agreed to let him drive them.

 

Will, Elle, and Jonathan piled into his car. The two younger siblings were in the back, Elle in the middle, Will on the right side, and Jonathan in the driver’s seat. The arrangement was for Mike to sit on the left next to Elle and Nancy to sit next to Jonathan in the front. Nobody had any complaints about that. Elle looked over at her brother to take in his appearance. Will was wearing a neat black suit with a white shirt underneath and a navy-colored tie. She’d heard that Jennifer’s dress was blue. Not the same shade as Elle’s, which was baby blue, but some kind of darker shade. She was excited to see everyone together. Apparently it was a tradition for you and your date to match, and Elle knew that Mike had a tie that matched her dress, which Joyce thought was adorable. 

 

The Byers siblings approached Maple Street and pulled into the Wheelers’ driveway after a few minutes. After hearing a honk from outside, Mike basically jumped off of his bed and sprinted down the stairs to grab the flowers he had gotten for Elle. He passed Nancy on the way to the door and she laughed softly. “Jesus, Mike, you should try out for track next year!” She joked. He turned around. “Funny, you’re the second person that’s said that.” He replied with an eye roll. The two went outside and closed the door behind them before Mike walked over to the car, giving Elle the flowers.

 

“Thanks, Mike.” She said with her hazel eyes and blushing cheeks. She sounded so sincere and gentle, all Mike wanted to do in that moment was hold her. He found himself staring and stuttering. “Y-yeah, no problem, E… Elle.” He managed to breathe out as he saw her dress. She looked stunning, beautiful, amazing, gorgeous. That’s all Mike was thinking. He admired the halter top she was wearing and looked over her before climbing into the car next to her and sitting down. 

 

Of course, the three kids got out a moment later when Jonathan announced he had to take their pictures. After a few minutes of nonstop camera flashing, they crawled into the back of Jon’s car and headed towards the school. Jon agreed to take the flowers back to the house so that Elle didn’t have to carry them around all night, and Nancy just kept looking back at her brother the whole time because she thought it was funny that he was lost in thought. Mike was just staring at Elle like a zombie, and she was looking ahead as they drove. Elle loved the nighttime. The stars, the moon, seeing the streetlights and hearing the crickets. Things that everyone took for granted. In the lab, Elle didn’t even know that there was a sun or a moon. She’d learned about them with Joyce and seen them outside. Mike loved the look on her face every time she saw the Hawkins sky at night. She looked so wonder-struck that he didn’t even want to talk, just watch her. She stared at the moon like it was some kind of precious jewel that might disappear if she looked away for even a second. 

 

They arrived at the school right on time and the three kids clambered out of the car. Jonathan rolled down his window. “Remember, we’ll be right around here the whole time. Just come find us if anything happens.” He told the trio, and they all nodded. “Got it, Jon.” Will said, and he, Mike, and Elle headed towards the gym where everyone was off partying. 

 

Elle stepped into the building, but it was very different from the decorations from the Snowball. Instead of blue and white paper snowflakes covering the walls and a hazy shade of blue lighting the gym, there were pink, red, and white hearts everywhere and a red haze across the room. Elle thought it was pretty. Meanwhile, Mike was fumbling with his tie to make sure it looked okay. He was wearing a dove grey suit and that baby blue tie Elle had thought about earlier. When they made it to a table, they saw Lucas and Max out on the dance floor. Will called them over, and they excitedly rushed to join them. “Hey, guys!” Max greeted. Elle smiled and the two hugged quickly before looking eachother over. “You look great, Elle!” She said, and Elle smiled at her. “You too, Max.” She replied.

 

The red-haired girl was wearing quite the interesting dress, but it was still pretty. It was hot pink with a sweetheart neckline and ruffles after her waist. It cut off just below her knees. Meanwhile, Lucas was wearing a deep red tuxedo and a white shirt with a black tie. Mike looked over at the two of them and decided to crack a joke. “Man, you two blend right in with the decor! Lemme guess, suit and tie from Nam?” He asked, and Lucas and Max both blushed and laughed softly. Elle had heard about Nam, so she got the joke and chuckled as well. Will smirked. 

 

After a while, Larissa and Jennifer showed up together. Jennifer was wearing a royal blue off-the-shoulder dress that ended above her ankles and a black cardigan. Larissa was wearing a black and white polka dot dress and had on a pair of kitten heels, just like Elle’s, but red. Elle thought they both looked gorgeous. About fifteen minutes later, Dustin arrived finally. He wore a black suit with an orange tie and didn’t match Larissa at all, but the two couldn’t care less.

 

Meanwhile, Lucas, Will, and Jennifer were discussing how they were going to fit all eight of them in a photo booth only meant for two people. Mike and Elle decided to head out onto the dance floor, and Dustin, Larissa, and Max followed after a few minutes of seeing Mike’s horrible dance moves. Turns out, Elle was quite a good dancer. Mike on the other hand? Not so much. She turned quite a few heads that night, and she knew she’d never forget about the dance. The people who’d seen her wouldn’t forget either, for on Monday, Mike would be bombarded with questions about how he got the prettiest girl in the room to dance with him.

 

Elle was drop-dead gorgeous to him, but apparently some other people shared that opinion. He’d gotten a few jealous glares from boys but just shrugged it off. He knew Elle wouldn’t leave him for one of the mouthbreathers at his school. Before he let himself overthink the situation and turn it into something negative, a slower song came on and Elle pulled him over to dance away from the crowd. They stood there, moving to the beat as “Africa” by Toto came on. Elle’s hands were around Mike’s neck and her head was on his shoulder. His arms were wrapped around her waist. Mike was a bad dancer, but it was easier for him to slow dance since they were just swaying. At the time, he couldn’t think about his awful dancing skills. He was focused on Elle’s body pressed against his. He could almost feel her smiling against his shoulder while she hummed the melody. 

 

“Gotta take my life to take me away from you! There’s nothin’ that a hundred men or more could ever doooo. I’ll bless the rains down in Africaaaa!” Dustin was half-singing half-screaming from across the room as Larissa laughed. “Oh my god, Dusty, what the hell!” She said as many heads looked over at them awkwardly. He blinked. “Oh, my bad.” He said before screaming the lyrics even louder. Elle thought it was adorable how Larissa called him “Dusty”, as she was the only one who ever did, and he looked so happy whenever she did it. The two were more of a comedic couple. Meanwhile, Lucas and Max/Jennifer and Will were more… different. Nobody could compare to Mike and Elle though. The two were a power couple, and were a force to be reckoned with. Literally. POWER couple. 

 

But despite Elle’s powers, the two were still one of the cutest couples Will swore he’d ever seen. They held hands, kissed occasionally, got into deep conversations, and basically did everything together. He knew he probably wouldn’t have a lasting relationship with Jennifer Hayes, but he doubted Mike and Elle would be torn apart.

 

The song had ended and Mike, Elle, and the rest of the kids rushed to the photo booth to get there before the line got crazy. It was quite a mess trying to get all of them inside. Elle had to sit on Mike’s lap and Larissa had to do the same thing with Dustin. Lucas and Max managed to squish in beside Dustin and Larissa, while Max and Jennifer had to squat on the floor in order to get into the frame. The group took several pictures, and when nobody was planning what to do for the last one, Elle kissed Mike on the cheek as the camera flashed.

 

When the photo was developed, Dustin grinned and patted Mike’s back. “You’re gonna wanna keep this one, bud.” He said and Mike blushed, rolling his eyes. A few seconds later, Dustin turned to him. “How come you still get embarrassed about Elle? We all know you like her. We all know she likes you. You two have been dating, like, forever.” He asked. Mike shrugged. “I don’t know. I get butterflies every time she turns to look at me. I guess it’s just love…” He muttered. Dustin smiled. “You two are lucky.” He said, patting his friend on the back. Mike couldn’t argue with that, he felt like the luckiest guy in the world to have Elle.

 

The night was far from over, though, and the kids were sitting back down at the table before Elle offered to go grab punch. Mike agreed and Jennifer went with her to get some for Will. Jennifer got hers first, Elle let her, and returned to the table, but as Elle was taking two cups, some guy approached her. “Hi, there.” He said. Elle turned to face the guy. He was blushing lightly, but she didn’t quite get why. The boy was a tall, muscular blonde with green eyes. Elle could tell right away he was the type of guy Jennifer Hayes hung out with at school. “Oh, um, hi.” Elle replied shyly. He smiled. “I’m Eric. Eric Johnston. I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” He greeted, and Elle nodded softly. “I don’t go here, I’m with my friends over there.” She said, pointing to the table where the gang was talking away, not even seeing the conversation. “Oh. So you are…?” He asked. “Oh, I’m Elle, sorry. Elle Byers.” She responded, shaking his hand when he offered. “Oh, wow, you’re Will Byers’ sister! I didn’t know he had a sister… but last year was crazy, am I right?” He asked. Elle knew all about last year. “Yeah, haha. It was awful, I’m just glad he’s safe.” She responded quaintly. “So, why don’t you go here?” Eric asked curiously. Elle nodded. “I’m homeschooled. I’ll be coming to public school in 9th grade. My mom thought it would be better for me.” She answered honestly. Eric nodded.

 

The two began to chat about god-knows-what before Mike noticed after turning around. “Oh, god… is that…?” He asked. Dustin nodded. “Eric fuckin’ Johnston. You should go save her, Mike.” Dustin joked. Mike rolled his eyes before getting up to walk over.

 

He approached carefully, but not too carefully. He didn’t want Eric seeing any signs of weakness. He was there to make sure the popular jock knew Elle was his. “Hey, Eric.” He greeted, and the blonde turned over to see Mike. “Oh, hey, Mike right?” He asked. Mike nodded. “Yep. I’m sure you’ve met my girlfriend, Elle?” He asked, and Eric’s face flushed. “Oh, you’re dating?” He asked. Mike and Elle nodded. “Mmhmm.” Elle answered. “My bad! See you two around.” Eric said awkwardly, huffing under his breath and turning around to walk back towards his friends.

 

Mike turned to Elle. “Hey, did he say anything to you that upset you?” He asked, making sure she was alright. She nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. He was kind of weird though…” She said. Mike nodded. “Yeah, Elle, that’s because he likes you.” He said awkwardly. Elle tilted her head. “What? Oh… OH.” She said, understanding. “Oh, ew!” She said awkwardly. “I mean, he’s nice but I don’t really like him like that…” She explained. Mike chuckled and nodded. “Elle, it’s all good. I know.” He answered. “You know you’re the only one for me, right?” Elle said, looking up at him through her chocolate eyes. He smiled down at her. “Likewise, Eleven.” He whispered. She smiled before taking his hand and the two walked back to the table. “If his mouth-breather friends ever bother you, just tell ‘em you’ve already got a boyfriend. You’re my girl, Elle.” He said, emphasizing “my”, and she blushed, nodding. 

 

They returned to the table and the others were chuckling to themselves. “So, Elle, been hear for thirty minutes and already managed to replace Mike?” Jennifer joked, and Elle smirked, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, right. Because I’m soooooo popular.” She joked back sarcastically. “Actually, you kind of are.” Larissa said, pointing at something. The group turned around to see Eric standing there, talking to a few of his friends. None of them were great at reading lips, but the words ‘Elle Byers’ were quite easy to pick up from the boy’s speech. Mike’s hands curled into fists. He didn’t know what they were talking about- if it was positive about her or negative, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want other guys looking at Elle. He didn’t want other guys talking about Elle. He didn’t want other guys near Elle. He could’ve gone up and punched Eric Johnston in the face right then and there before he felt Elle’s cold hand against his.

 

His hands uncurled and he looked up at her, meeting her soft gaze. She calmed him down and he sat back in his chair, taking her hand in his to warm it up.

 

Elle always had cold hands, but Mike didn’t mind. When he was with her, his body flushed with heat over and over again, and he was more than happy to help warm his girlfriend up. He had always noticed her cold hands, and knew what he’d get her for her 14th birthday- a pair of mittens for God’s sake. Her whole body was usually cold, and he’d figured it was just… her.

 

The dance continued and eventually all of the couples were off on the dance floor except for Mike and Elle. She sighed softly and scooted her chair closer to Mike and rested her head on his shoulder. He could tell she was tired, it was about ten o’clock and he was getting tired as well. Usually, they both stayed up pretty late, but from all of the dancing, their energy was gone with the wind. “Hey, wanna go hang out in the AV Club Room?” Mike suggested, wondering if he could have some alone time with Elle… in private. She nodded, remembering the familiar room. Mike had gotten the key from Mr. Clarke after the events of November 1983 and the boys were free to use the room whenever. Except Mike and Elle had to be careful not to run into a chaperone in the hallway or they’d probably be sent home.

 

Apparently the chaperones were basically trained to rat out horny teenagers who were trying to sneak off to lose their virginities in the faculty bathroom, but not Mike and Elle. They just wanted to chill in the AV Club Room without the gang breathing down their necks. It had become a problem recently- the worst was always assumed when they got together alone, and everyone thought they were screwing. But when they weren’t alone, the gang put all sorts of pressure on them. Truth or dare? Elle and Mike always had to do something involving PDA with eachother. Never have I ever? Sexual questions… for Mike and Elle. Monopoly? ‘Hey, Mike, when are you gonna buy Elle’s property, if you know what I mean?’

 

Mike and Elle snuck through the dark hallways before reaching Mike’s locker, hand in hand. He twisted the lock and opened it before taking the key off of its hook, closing it as quietly as he could before the two rounded a corner to see a chaperone looking the other way. They quickly hid before the chaperone left and snuck into the AV Club Room. Mike sighed in relief before turning the light on. He was glad they had put paper over the window, or the two would’ve been caught within five minutes.

 

Elle sat down in the chair next to the Heathkit Hamshack, which had been repaired by the school as requested by Will Byers. They couldn’t really deny that request, as the boy had basically been thought of as dead. Mike took a seat next to her, and they sat there in silence for a minute, thinking about the time Elle spent in that room trying to contact Will before blowing up the radio. But before either of them knew it, they had closed their eyes and leaned forward to kiss eachother softly. It started quiet but Elle moved over to sit in Mike’s lap so they could be as close as possible. They both knew it wasn’t going to go anywhere inappropriate, but it still felt private. It felt good to be all alone without the boys following them or the girls bugging Elle every five seconds. Mike cupped Elle’s cheek with his hand and she leaned against it while they kissed gently, and she put one of her hands against his chest. He used his free hand to take her other one and laced his fingers with hers, enjoying the bliss. They pulled away after a few minutes, eyes fluttering open to see the blush on the other’s cheeks which just made them blush more. 

 

Elle rested her head against Mike’s neck and he placed his on top of hers. The two sat there for what felt like five minutes before Mike checked his watch and realized it was nearly 10:30, which meant the gang was probably going crazy looking for them. Mike and Elle both left the room and went back into the gym without being caught, thank god. 

 

Dustin saw them first. “Oh my god, where have you two been?” He asked, throwing his hands in the air. “We’ve been looking everywhere!”

 

“Oh, right by the punch. Are you sure you checked everywhere?” Mike teased, his arm around Elle’s shoulders. She was smiling softly beside him, and he was doing the same. Dustin rolled his eyes and smirked. “Whatever, you two lovebirds. Will’s over with Jennifer in the corner, I think your siblings are gonna be here soon. Lucas and Max’s parents both picked them up already.” Dustin said, and Mike nodded. Elle began to walk towards Will and Jennifer before hearing a bit too much and turning back, walking quickly towards the boys.

 

“Elle?” Mike asked, seeing the awkward look on her face. She looked over at Dustin and back at Mike. “I think they’re breaking up. I don’t know. I heard ‘This isn’t gonna work’ from Will and saw Jennifer nod.” She explained. Dustin nodded and Mike shrugged. “I dunno.” Dustin said. “Can you ask him? Call us on the Supercom and tell us what he said.” He requested. Mike interjected. “She can’t, she’s sleeping over at my place.” He explained. Dustin grinned and looked over at Mike. “Oooooooh, Mikey Wheeler’s got a girl sleeping at his house. Or should I say ‘YOU’RE LETTING A GIRL SLEEP AT YOUR HOUSE?” He joked, remembering his exact words from November 1983. Both Mike and Elle chuckled.

 

“Relax, we’re not going to do anything. My mom agreed to it after ages of convincing and I promised Ms. Byers nothing would happen.” Mike said, and Dustin nodded as well as Elle, who was validating everything he said.

 

The dance was over, and Mike, Will, and Elle got picked up. Jon dropped off Mike, Elle, and Nancy before Will moved into the front seat. “Hey, buddy.” Jon said with a smile. Will smiled back. “Hey.” He said quietly. “What’s up?” Jon asked. “Is anything wrong?”

 

“Meh. My girlfriend and I broke up, but I guess there wasn’t a relationship in the first place.” Will explained. Jonathan nodded. “Ah. Well, if you ever want to hear my cringe-y love stories from middle school, let me know.” He said, grinning. Will chuckled lightly. “Maybe another day. I’m pretty tired.”

 

Meanwhile, Elle had changed into her pajamas. One of Mike’s old t-shirts that he’d given her and a pair of shorts. She was allowed to sleep in Mike’s room… in a sleeping bag, of course. Mike let her use his, and after Karen made sure they were “asleep”, she crawled up into bed with Mike, and he wrapped his arms around her. “Hey.” He murmured, his nose pressing against hers. She smiled back at him. “Hey.” She whispered. The two fell asleep rather quickly.

 

Elle knew one thing for sure though. She was his.


	31. Spring Semester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The longest and most emotionally-confusing thing I've ever written. Bear with me.

It had been about a week since the Hawkins Middle Valentine’s Day Dance. The time period had been nothing short of uneventful, and Elle found herself yet again bored while her friends were all at school. She had remembered one thing though, which had been quite a big deal. Will and Jennifer ended things at the dance, and stopped talking completely. She’d heard the details from Mike when they were hanging out alone one day.

She’d come over to his house on Wednesday and the two were playing Monopoly when Mike remembered what had happened at school that day. He always told Elle about his day, and she was always very curious. Apparently the gang had newfound respect from a lot of the kids in their grade because Mike was seen with Elle at the dance. He said Eric looked annoyed all day as well, and Elle giggled softly, remembering what she and Mike had discussed. 

But the drama was just getting started. Jennifer wasn’t talking to Larissa or Max, and definitely not the boys. It was like she was completely gone and dead. Although the other two girls also had their social circles, they still talked to eachother and the boys. Jennifer had just completely cut off contact, and it was really awkward for the gang to see her in the hallways. According to Mike, it was Will’s idea to break up, and she had tearfully agreed, but was apparently quite mad about it because she still liked Will. 

Elle sighed, feeling lucky to be homeschooled for once. She wanted to be a part of the school so badly, but drama was one thing she definitely wasn’t looking forward to. She figured it’d be overshadowed by the fact that she got to spend more time with her friends, though. It was very strange for her, but she knew it’d be worth it in the end. Elle would kill to be able to spend more time with them. They were gone all day and had to do homework in the afternoon for about an hour, which took even more time away from them all being able to hang out. Things were so much easier during school breaks, Elle had realized.

It was 8 AM on that Friday morning when the Byers household received a phone call. Elle, being the only one home, picked up, eager for something to do amidst the boredom of the lonely morning. She was praying it was Mike or one of her friends, but instead, Mike’s mom picked up. It was a surprise, but not a bad one. Elle liked Karen a lot, and the two got along well.

“Hey, Elle, honey, this is Karen.” the woman said, and Elle smiled on the other side of the line. She loved talking to Karen. She did sound quite… frantic at the moment, to say the least. Elle replied. “Hi, Mrs. Wheeler.” She greeted sweetly. Karen responded quickly. “This is going to sound strange, but I need you to babysit Holly for a few hours. I have to go… see a family member. Plus, the usual babysitter couldn’t make it.” The woman requested. Elle nodded, but realized she couldn’t see her response from the other side of the phone line. “Alright. I’ll ask my mom. If she says yes, I’ll be over in fifteen minutes.” She answered, and she heard Karen’s relieved sigh from the other side. “Thank you so much, Elle, you really are an angel.”

Elle called Joyce, who agreed immediately, deciding it was a good job for Elle to try babysitting. Nancy had told Elle about her babysitting jobs around the city, over the summers. Elle loved Holly, but she didn’t think all kids would be the same. Or all families. The Wheelers were quite a special bunch, and she didn’t think anyone could quite out-strange them or the families she was almost always surrounded by. 

It was Holly’s 4th birthday, and Elle was babysitting for her while Karen was wherever she was and the boys, Nancy, and Jonathan were all at school. So, Elle got her breakfast, an eggo to go and a bottle of water- it was all she could really get in before biking to the Wheelers’. She ate quickly before grabbing a book and walking outside. She put her book and the bottle of water in her bike basket and headed off.

It was strange- Elle was the only one with a bike basket. She didn’t care, and it was hilarious because whenever the boys didn’t feel like carrying something, they just gave it to her. Mostly Dustin, who would always claim that his teeth were coming in and it hurt too badly to carry his backpack, so Elle just played along and held it in the basket for him. 

She approached the Wheeler house after being deep in thought during her ride. Elle knocked on the door, feeling the wood against her knuckles. Karen rushed to the door moments later, with Holly practically speeding after her. “Elle, hi.” Karen greeted, and let her inside. Elle parked her bike first and took her water bottle and book to sit down and do some reading while Holly took her daily nap. Of course, that time was yet to come- for now, Holly had the energy of a rampaging bull… endless. 

It was only moments before her ears were filled with…

“ELLIE, ELLIE, ELLIE, ELLIE!” Holly squealed, wrapping her arms around Elle’s leg to hug her. Elle smiled softly and reached down, picking Holly up. “Hey, Hol.” She said gently, and the toddler giggled, grabbing onto Elle’s nose, earning a chuckle from both Elle and Karen. “Alright, I’ll see you guys later. I won’t be back until tonight, and since school ends at 3, you can totally leave whenever you want to after that. I’m sure Mike and Nancy can keep an eye on her.” Karen said, fumbling to get her keys out of her purse before realizing they were in the palm of her hand the whole time. Elle shook her head. “It’s alright, I’ll stay. I want to.” She answered legitimately. Karen smiled. “Oh, Elle, you’re such a sweet girl. My Michael is lucky to have you.” She said, causing Elle to blush before she opened the door and walked outside. She turned around before closing the door. “If you need anything, ask Mike or Nancy when they get home from school, alright?” Karen asked, and Elle nodded with a small smile. 

Finally, she put down the bouncing toddler who was giving her arms a cramp before going into the kitchen. “Alright, Holly, have you had breakfast?” Elle asked, and Holly shook her head. The young girl had on bright pink overalls and a striped purple-and-orange long-sleeved striped shirt underneath. Elle could see the small, neon blue scrunchies in her hair, holding each of her two pigtails in place. So, Elle opened the fridge and took out some eggs, remembering when Mike taught her how to make them. “Do you want eggs and juice?” She asked, and Holly nodded rapidly. “Yes, Ellie!” She answered, excitedly. 

Elle thought her nickname was cute. Holly was the only one who called her Ellie on a daily basis- everyone else stuck to Elle. Sometimes, she was Elizabeth, on documents and with Hopper when he was filing her paperwork and adoption records. Sometimes, she was Elle, with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Nancy, and Jonathan. Sometimes she was Ellie, to Joyce, occasionally and Holly, all the time. But sometimes, she was Eleven, to Mike when he looked into her eyes and they were alone. Before a small kiss. After a hug or a deep talk. Elle didn’t necessarily like being called Eleven by anyone except for Mike. He was the only one who could call her by her old name. Except maybe the boys. For everyone else, she preferred being Elle. It was a reminder of her new life and how she was free from the lab. Eleven was just a constant reminder of her pain. Except when she was with the boys. If they called her Eleven, she remembered eggos and La-Z-Boys, the Millennium Falcon toy and Roary the Dinosaur, X-Men and Jedi. She remembered fun times with her friends and awful times without them. 

Elle snapped back to reality as she turned on the burner on the stove. She managed to dig through the cabinets to find a pan and quickly put the grease on it before placing it on top of the burner. Holly watched her eagerly as she picked up the spatula and a plate, putting them beside the stove on the countertop. Elle reached over and grabbed an egg before looking over at Holly. “One or two?” She asked, and Holly excitedly whispered, “One.” Elle thought it was cute how enchanted the toddler looked- all she was doing was putting eggs on a pan.

Elle reached over and cracked the egg, hearing a gasp from Holly, who was watching carefully to see what happened. She was mesmerized by the egg, it’s changing colors and sizzling noises. Elle put the shell in the garbage disposal and flipped the switch to send it into the oblivion before standing there with Holly, watching the egg. After a little while, Elle finally picked up the spatula and flipped the egg onto the plate before turning the stovetop off and putting the pan in the kitchen sink. She walked into the dining room and put the plate on top of the table before reaching down and putting Holly up in her high chair. Elle returned to the kitchen to grab the jug of juice from the refrigerator and a glass from the cabinet to pour a cup for Holly. She finished her mission and gave the toddler her breakfast, and she was excitedly eating her egg while Elle read some of her book.

“Ellie, will you play with me?” Holly asked, and Elle looked up from the pages of her book. She was re-reading “The Outsiders” and had just gotten to the part where Ponyboy and Johnny were watching the sunrise. Elle smiled softly. “Okay, Holly.” She replied politely and saw that the girl had finished her eggs very quickly. So, Elle picked up the plate and cup and brought them into the kitchen where she promptly washed them both off and placed them in the dishwasher as Holly clung to her leg excitedly. Elle chuckled and the two headed into the living room, where Holly was eager to tell Elle all about her favorite make-believe game.

After at least four hours of playing, Holly was tired, and so was Elle. They’d run around with Holly on Elle’s back like an airplane and soared through Holly’s imagination. Elle was having muscle cramps from carrying Holly around, and the toddler was tired from running about, so Elle decided it was time for Holly’s nap. Usually, Holly was very fussy about her naps, but when Elle suggested it, she didn’t even hesitate. Holding the younger girl’s hand, Elle guided Holly up the stairs and into her room before helping her into her small bed. Elle had her book and sat down in the chair in Holly’s room. It was an old rocking chair that had been in each of the children’s rooms when they were young, and now it was just going to be in Holly’s room until she decided she didn’t want it.

Elle picked up her book and began to read before rocking herself slowly into a nap. Elle’s book fell to the ground and she curled up in the chair, eyes closed contently. Holly was snoring lightly with her blankets all over the place, and both of them were 110% happy with where they were and what they were doing. It wasn’t until Mike came bounding up the stairs that Holly woke up, and Elle was still asleep.

Mike had just gotten home from a loooong day at school. He’d dealt with Eric Johnston being an asshole about him and his friends all day, and he just wanted to go over to Elle’s house to see her when he forgot that Holly was taking her daily nap. He heard her grunt and get out of bed like she always did when he woke her up. Nancy was already in her room studying, and so there was nobody to help Mike from being tortured by his little sister. He groaned and sat down on his bed before the toddler stormed into his room. “Mikey, you woke me up! You probably woke Elle up too!” She said, crossing her arms. Mike’s eyes lit up. “Elle’s here?” He asked, and his little sister nodded. “Duh. She was babysitting me today. We played for a while and she just fell asleep.” Holly said, yawning softly as she woke up. Mike smiled. “Okay, sorry for waking you up, Hol.” He said before running quietly into her room to see Elle asleep in the chair. His heart swooned for a minute before he hesitantly tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, Elle, it’s Mike.” He said quietly, and she groaned, weakly batting his hand away. She opened one eye lazily and saw him before giving him her signature quiet smile. He smiled back and helped her out of the chair before the two headed to his room.

She yawned. “Hey, Mike. How as your day?” She asked as she sat down on his bed. That’s what usually happened. Mike came home, Elle came over, or vice versa where he’d go to Elle’s, and they’d talk about their days. He sighed, rubbing his arm. “Eric Johnston is apparently super jealous. I think he has a little crush on you or something.” He grunted, and Elle laughed softly. “Seriously? Me?” She asked in disbelief. Mike’s cheeks heated up. “Well, yeah… you’re like, super pretty. If you went to school with me, I have no doubt you’d be popular. Like Jennifer. Just not as bitchy because you’d keep talking to us.” He said awkwardly. “You’d probably be swamped by guys.” He said, huffing. Elle scooted over, closer to him, and put her hand on top of his. “Yeah, well all those guys are mouthbreathers. I’d choose you over them any day, Mike.” She said just to assure him. He smiled softly and took her hand in his before the two flopped over onto their backs, looking up at the ceiling. “Yeah, I know.” He said quietly before Elle fell back asleep.

She woke up about an hour later with Mike nowhere to be seen. She sat up and began to panic, worried that he got kidnapped or something, before realizing that was a stupid idea and he was probably downstairs. She walked down the stairs to see Mike sitting on the floor with Holly. She was playing with a barbie doll and Elle smiled, remembering that she and Mike had gotten it for her together with their combined allowance money for Holly’s birthday. Mike turned to see Elle walking down the stairs and smiled. “She loves it.” He mouthed, and Elle grinned. “Told you she would.” She mouthed back and sat down next to him. “Ellie, look!” Holly began.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with refilling Holly’s juice, entertaining her, having little discussions between Mike and Elle, and hearing Nancy’s music blasting from her room upstairs while she “studied” with Jonathan, who came over around 4:00. Finally, Mike asked Elle a question that he hadn’t thought of earlier. “Hey, Elle, where’s my mom?” He asked. Elle turned to him. “Hmm? Oh… she said she was visiting a family member.” She answered. He nodded. “Weird, she usually tells us about this stuff… or takes us. For the past few years, she’s dragged us to every family reunion or gathering that she could. She stopped last year though when she realized that none of us even wanted to go. Except maybe Holly, because she can play with our cousin, Moose. I have no idea why his name is Moose…” Mike began. “So now they just go down there every year. But for the most part, she takes us with her. I just don’t get why she didn’t tell us about it.” He said, confused. Elle nodded. “Yeah, that is kinda weird. Doesn’t she usually tell you about all of this stuff like a week in advance?” She asked, and he nodded. “Maybe it was an emergency.” Elle suggested, and Mike nodded in agreement. 

Turns out, Karen had lied. She and Ted were standing in an awkward room full of arguing couples, crying people, and small children. They were at a government office to sign the official divorce papers and revoke their marriage license. It was real. It was happening. Karen had decided not to change her last name, and Ted had rolled his eyes in response. They’d also decided that Karen would have full custody. Ted said the kids could visit him if they wanted to, but not live with him. Karen thought he sounded awful, but he just shrugged it off.

After hours of filing paperwork, talking to multiple people, waiting in lines, and standing around in waiting rooms. The papers were finally ready to be stored and legalized. Karen and Ted exchanged a quick hug before they left, and Ted looked over at Karen. “You know, I’m gonna miss your chicken.” He said, trying to sound lighthearted. Karen shot daggers at him. “Fuck you, Ted.” She whispered angrily before walking back to the family station wagon and driving off to her house.

It was going to be a loooong day, and Karen could feel it in her bones. Something made her want to explain to her kids that Ted was gone, that he was leaving and wouldn’t come back. She wanted to tell them that he was letting them visit him in a few months, but not now. She couldn’t break the news to them. Mike would be upset, Nancy would get angry, and Holly wouldn’t even notice anything different. Ted had once been a good father, but those days were gone. She was struggling to think of what to do as she drove down the small town roads, back to Hawkins, where she’d left to go file the paperwork since the town didn’t have a large government building of their own that could deal with marriage. 

Turns out, Ted wasn’t even going to live near them. He was moving about thirty minutes away to be closer to his brother in Cook County near the famous Cook County Jail. Apparently, Ted’s sister-in-law lived there after committing some stupid crime, and although she’d lost the appeal, Karen had defended her in court. The woman regretted it now, wishing she didn’t have anything to do with Ted’s family. She didn’t even like them. 

She pulled into the driveway and realized she had forgotten something before rushing out and down the street, basically speeding. Karen realized she’d forgotten to get Holly’s birthday cake! She felt like a horrible mother for not remembering, but she had to suck it up, grab the cake, and get back to the house. The late winter moon was rising on the horizon as she drove, and the sun was setting behind her. She finally arrived at the grocery store before picking up a simple, pre-made birthday cake. Karen usually baked 100% of the family’s food herself, but she just didn’t have the time to make the cake with the secret divorce, so she had no other choice but to buy one. She paid and hurried out to get back to the house.

When she got back, Elle and Mike already had the table set and Nancy was getting the food ready. Karen saw this and smiled. Elle was like a family member to her, and even though she was dating her son, she saw Elle as a daughter-figure. She was so helpful around the house and such a kind girl… Karen was glad her son ended up with her, even if they’d first been technical enemies.

Karen nearly chuckled when her mind travelled back to the times when she had Hawkins Power and Light outside of her house, asking her if she was harboring a fugitive telekinetic girl in her basement. It had been the single most outrageous thing she’d ever heard. She remembered Mike’s broken eyes when she saw him at the hospital that night after Elle had disappeared. He hadn’t talked for a week straight and she had to leave his food outside of his door. He never left his room. When she came back, he was brighter than ever. He did excellently in school, bringing his math grade up from its usual C to an A-, which was great for him. She realized that he couldn’t function without her, and she couldn’t function without him. Karen wished she felt that way about someone, but she had her family, Elle included, and they were enough for her.

Elle helped Holly into her high chair for the second time that day before sitting down next to Mike. Nancy and Karen sat next to eachother on the other side, and Ted’s lonely spot at the head of the table was empty. As the family began to eat, Nancy took notice. “Hey, where’s dad?” She asked through bites. Karen thought of a lie as quickly as possible. “He’s covering for his co-worker. Sorry, I totally forgot to tell you. Also, he’ll be on a business trip for a little while.” She said. “What?” asked Nancy. “Why didn’t he tell us?” She said, sounding offended. Mike and Elle shrugged. Karen had to elaborate and build on the lie. “He just found out. I did too. It’s uh… with his brother and their business. They’re doing a collaboration on software.” She lied. None of the kids understood what Ted did at work. He was an engineer. Truth be told, Karen didn’t know either, and she was glad the kids didn’t get it because they would’ve discovered that she was just going off the top of her head with fancy words she’d barely learned such as software. 

The kids nodded in agreement and picked at their dinner awkwardly before getting to desert, which Holly was most excited about. She was practically screaming by the time Elle and Nancy had finished cutting the cake and giving it to everyone. The two older girls then sat down and sang happy birthday to the newly-crowned four-year-old, who was ecstatic about not being three. “Do I still have to take naps every day?” Holly asked after opening her presents. “Yes, Hol.” Karen replied with a chuckle. Holly pouted. “Then why am I four? I’m supposed to be GROWING UP.” She said, exasperated. Everyone laughed softly. “Don’t rush it, Holly. Trust me.” Nancy answered, and Mike, Elle, and Karen all nodded in unison and agreement to her statement. 

Holly crossed her arms but gave up, eventually giving into her grudge to join Elle, Mike, and Nancy on the couch. They were all going to watch Cinderella, which was Holly’s favorite movie. Afterwards, they had their own plans, but Karen was upstairs, doing god-knows-what. The kids just couldn’t figure out what was going on with their mother… and father. He would’ve at least shown up for his youngest daughter’s birthday… right?

The screen on the TV lit up after Mike put the VHS tape in. He took his seat next to Elle and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she rested her head on his. Nancy was sitting down with Holly in her lap and the movie was just beginning before Mike and Elle went to go get popcorn as of Holly’s request.

Elle looked over at Mike as she got out the bowl and he got out the bag of popcorn. She smiled softly. “Hey.” She greeted, playfully. He smiled back. “Hey.” The two were basically conjoined by their hands for the rest of the time that they were in the kitchen. The popcorn was finished and Mike and Elle grabbed three cans of Coke- one for each of them and Nancy. Holly wasn’t allowed to drink soda and her mother convinced her not to want it by giving her sip of Ted’s beer. She hated “soda” after that. So, while Lucifer the cat chased around Gus the mouse, Mike, Elle, and Nancy made a silent toast to little Holly, who didn’t even notice what was going on around her. She was so focused on the TV that anyone could’ve said anything and she wouldn’t have looked up.

Halfway through the movie, Nancy went upstairs to go to sleep. It was only 9:00, but she hadn’t been sleeping well recently for some reason, and she wanted to get an “early start”. Meanwhile, it was 2 hours past Holly’s bedtime and the toddler had received permission from her mother to stay up until the movie was over as long as she got a decent amount of sleep. Holly didn’t understand why she needed to have a certain amount of sleep, but if it meant she could stay up late and watch Cinderella with her brother and Elle, who she basically worshipped, she had no problems at all.

The movie ended after Elle and Mike moved around a few times. First Holly wanted to go sit in Elle’s lap, so she let her. She and Mike held hands while Holly was there before she moved back to sit on the floor and watch closer to the TV. Then Mike and Elle were on the floor, laying down next to Holly on their stomachs, leaning against eachother ever so lightly. Finally, they were sitting with their backs against the couch, heads resting against eachother, when they noticed Holly had fallen asleep. The movie had about five minutes left in it, but she was asleep, and they weren’t about to wake her up. Elle carried Holly up to her room with Mike following behind, and put her in her bed before tucking her in and turning the lights off. Mike admired how motherly Elle was, and the two went back downstairs before popping the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back cassette tape into the VHS player and getting fresh popcorn and Coke. 

Both kids had their eyes excitedly glued onto the 22 inch television that Mike remembered boasting to Elle about. ‘It’s like 10 times bigger than Dustin’s.’ Mike replayed his words in his head. ‘Yeah, so Dustin’s TV is 2.2 inches?’ He cringed to himself. Elle was reaching for the popcorn at the same time as Mike and their hands touched, sending a quiet shiver up Mike’s spine. He knew he should be used to touching her by now, but it still gave him butterflies. Even looking at her made him feel jittery.

Little did he know, Elle felt the same way. She always, ALWAYS got nervous when she saw him. Sometimes he jitters went away after a few minutes of being with him, and sometimes they didn’t. She looked at him like he was her sun, and all she wanted to do was bask in his light. There was nothing more she needed. Truth be told, she would probably drive herself crazy if she let herself go without him for too long, but she wouldn’t let that happen. Neither of them would.

Elle thought the movie was amazing. Halfway through, Mike popped another bag of popcorn and the two sat back down to keep watching it. Elle felt her heart beat increase when she felt Mike’s arm wrap around her shoulders again and she leaned against him for the third time that night, feeling more comfortable than she had been in a long time. He was her everything. 

Mike and Elle fell asleep on the sofa that night, and weren’t woken up until the next morning by Nancy. Speaking of, the girl had woken up to the sound of her mother’s stressed voice in the other room. Her parents had a phone of their own in their room, and so did Nancy. Her mother usually used the other phone, though…

Nancy stood up. She wanted to know what was going on. Maybe it was related to why her mother wasn’t home until late the past night. Maybe it was related to the fact that her father missed his youngest daughter’s birthday. Maybe it was related to her mother’s odd behavior since the previous night. Nancy had noticed it, and she had no doubt Elle and Mike had noticed it as well. It was very hard not to. Karen was flustered and stressed, but was trying hard to pull off an easy-going and happy façade. Nonetheless, it hadn’t worked at all.

So, Nancy did something she probably shouldn’t have. She knew that there was a risk with spying- you either found exactly the information you wanted, or exactly the information that you didn’t want. She didn’t want to hear any bad news, but she knew that it was only the way life worked. Something had to be wrong. So, the eldest Wheeler girl snuck down the hallway, making sure not to creak the carpeted floor beneath her. Nancy could feel her heart beating… she knew she was going to hear something bad. She could feel it tingling in her bones.

She approached the door, careful not to look around and meet her mother’s gaze. She stayed silent, listening in on the phone conversation. “No, mom, I can’t just tell them!” Karen said. Nancy realized she was on the phone with her grandmother. The kids rarely saw her. “How do you think they’d react to their father leaving? I just finished the divorce papers and I have no intentions of telling them anytime soon. They… no, mom, I just can’t, okay?” Karen said, frustrated. Nancy covered her mouth, her eyes wide. Her parents were divorced. Behind her back. Her father walked out.

She quickly walked back to her room, not knowing or caring if the floor creaked beneath her. She thought it would be stupid to slam the door, so she just closed it carefully before crying into her pillow for a solid ten minutes until she heard a knock. “Go away, Holly.” She said, annoyed. “N-no, Nancy, it’s me, Elle.” The voice answered. Nancy sat up and wiped a few of her tears away. “O-oh, come in.” She sniffled. Elle opened the door and came in before sitting down on Nancy’s bed next to her. She hugged the girl softly. “Wait… how did you know…?” Nancy began. 

“Did you know about this?!” She asked, suddenly angry. Elle moved back, startled by Nancy’s sudden snap. “Know about what?” She asked, confused. Nancy shook her head. “Nevermind… I just… how’d you know to come in here?” She responded. Elle looked around before sighing. “It’s something that happened while I was in the Upside Down…” She began. Nancy looked over at her. “What…?” She asked. “What are you talking about?”

“I can sense emotions…” Elle said, rubbing the back of her neck. “When I was in the Upside Down, if I was in a certain place, I could sense the emotions of those around me. It was hard because if someone died, I could only sense grief. If someone was born, all I had was happiness. Other peoples’ emotions were everywhere, it was exhausting. I learned to control it, but it still happens. You’re… sad.” She said quietly. Nancy blew her nose quickly into a tissue before nodding. “That’s incredible, Elle.” She said softly. “Thanks? I don’t know. It was really hard to deal with for a while. I’d cry a lot. I uh… spent my time in the basement of your house while I was there, and I could always feel Mike’s emotions. It hurt for a while.” Elle said, becoming teary-eyed herself. Nancy passed her a tissue and Elle returned the box after taking one out and gave Nancy a sad smile. “He was just… so sad…” She cried quietly. “I hate knowing that I caused someone that much pain.” Elle began to sob, and Nancy took the younger girl in her arms, stroking her hair. “Shhh, Elle, it’s okay.” She said. “No it’s not…” Elle responded. Nancy cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “Hey, you didn’t cause him pain. That… demogorgon did. If anything, you caused him happiness. Elle, when you came back, he was my brother again. He came home that first night while you were getting cleaned up and just screamed and cheered for like ten minutes before he went back to go see you. He was so excited, so happy. He has been ever since. You know how happy he gets whenever he hears you’re coming over?” Nancy said, involuntarily smiling softly. Elle looked up at her and wiped a few stray tears. “T-thanks, Nancy…” She said quietly, resting her head on her boyfriend’s sister’s shoulder. Nancy patted her back lightly. “No problem, Elle.” She almost whispered.

Elle left to go wake Mike up a few minutes later to find him sitting in the kitchen. “Hey, Elle.” He greeted with a warm smile. She smiled back. “Hey, Mike.” She replied softly, sitting down next to him. He had a cup of milk and two eggos, and he pushed one over to her on a separate plate. She gave him a playful grin and ate her eggo quickly, not even bothering to put syrup on it. Meanwhile, Mike had syrup all over his. Mike loved syrup. He put it on any breakfast food he could, and it bothered EVERYONE. Eggs. Fruit. Bagels. If it was solid, a breakfast food, and edible, Mike put syrup on it. Elle got a glass of water and yawned softly before looking back over at him. “When’d you wake up?” She asked curiously. “Like… five minutes ago. I figured you were in the bathroom.” He said with a light shrug. She nodded. “Yeah.” She said softly and finished her breakfast. 

Mike Wheeler found out that his father left two weeks later. It broke his heart. He didn’t talk to anyone except for Elle for a whole week and stayed in his room the whole time, only letting her enter. She brought him food because he refused to go downstairs and stayed with him. They didn’t talk much, just held eachother and Elle comforted Mike when he couldn’t hold his tears in any longer. It was about six days into that week when Mike was sitting with Elle and he decided to get something off of his chest.

“Elle?” He asked, looking over at the girl who was sitting in his lap. “Yes, Mike?” she responded, looking up at him fondly. He gulped. “Um… I’m sorry I just… I…” He stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. Elle tried not to show her nervousness. She could sense his emotion. Guilt. She moved off of his lap to look him directly in the eyes and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I think we should break up.” He said quietly after a few moments of silence.

Elle’s mouth was wide open in shock. Her heart was beating and every butterfly that had soared through her heart was suddenly silenced and murdered. “M… Mike…” She managed to say, beginning to get teary-eyed. He gulped. “Look, Elle, it’s better this way… I’m just gonna hold you back.” He muttered. She stood up, letting a tear slide down her hot cheeks. “No, Mike! Y… you can’t really be doing this, this can’t be happening…” She said, running her hands through her hair frantically. He looked up at her, suddenly… angry. “Yes, Elle! It’s better, okay? Now just… go!” He said. Elle was shocked by this sudden outbreak. She just stared at him in disbelief. “I SAID GO!” He yelled. Elle turned and ran out of his room. Down the stairs. Out of the door. To her bike. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she let out soft sobs before she climbed onto her bike, her knees buckling before she could get to it. She was holding onto the handles before she pulled herself up and over onto the seat and biked off in a hurry. Lucas had been walking to Mike’s house and noticed this, not sure if he should go see Mike or chase after Elle. He went to go see Mike.

Elle ended up crashing her bike about half a mile through her journey home. She was on the outskirts of the forest, in Mirkwood. She scraped her knee and had a small gash on her left cheek, but was unharmed besides that. She didn’t get up though. She just lay there, feeling dead, sobbing to herself. She couldn’t feel the pine straw prickling at her sides. She couldn’t feel the early spring winds hit her like a ton of bricks while she stood up. She couldn’t feel anything. Elle was so numb. She couldn’t feel the pain of the scrapes anymore. She got onto her bike and just kept crying, all the way home, until she made it. She sloppily parked her bike and rushed inside before slamming her bedroom door and crashing onto her bed.

Will walked inside a few minutes later after hearing her sobs with a first aid kit. He saw her scrapes while she was storming through the house minutes earlier. He gave her a quick hug, unsure of what she was going through, applying a band aid to her leg and cheek and putting on some Neosporin before doing so. Elle just sobbed into his shoulder. “Elle… what’s wrong?” Will asked. 

She looked up at him through her wide, chocolate-hazel eyes, usually as clear as a summer sky, but now glazed over and bloodshot. “Mike… he… he broke up with me and then just… yelled.” She sobbed, her shaking hands pulling her closer to her brother. He stroked her back through the hug, angry with Mike, feeling bad for Elle. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you. I’ll… I’ll talk to him.” He said. Elle shook her head. “Don’t. I… it won’t help.” She managed to say. Will sighed and nodded. “Want some eggos?” He asked. Elle gave him a quiet, weak smile. “Yeah…” She murmured. 

Will was livid at that point. He couldn’t figure out why Mike and Elle broke up. Elle had comforted him every day that week. She’d saved his life. She’d saved all of their lives. She’d been there for Mike when no one else was. The two were basically perfect for eachother. They spent almost all of their time together. They could barely function with out eachother. And he just dumped her. His hand had curled into a fist and pounded against the counter. Mike was one of his best friends, but Elle was his sister, and nobody messed with the Byers. Separate, they were targeted for being weak. But together, they were a force to be reckoned with.

He gave Elle her eggos and she ate them, falling into a quiet depression nap for a while after that. He knew she’d be asleep for a bit so he quietly went into his room and turned on his Supercom, going to Mike’s channel. “Mike!” He said loudly. “MIKE.” He repeated, trying to get his friends attention. He hadn’t been answering calls all week, but he didn’t care. Neither was Will going to use the stupid “over and out” system with this. It was too important. 

Mike groaned and responded. “What do you want, Will?” He asked. Will growled under his breath. “What’d you say to Elle?” He demanded. Mike huffed. “We broke up, okay? It’s better for her. It’s better for me. It’s better for all of us. Besides, she can just go out with a guy like Eric Johnston.” He muttered. Will was furious at that point. “You asshole, Mike! She’s in there crying her eyes out. She’s so upset. Why would you do that? What’s wrong with you? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Will said, and Mike suddenly remembered his own words- the exact same thing, to Elle, over a year prior. He gulped and then hung up, not wanting to hear what else Will had to say.

Of course, Will called Dustin and Lucas to tell them what had happened. Lucas said he’d just returned from Mike’s place and he seemed to be distant. Will responded with a sarcastic comment and it was understandable, seeing that his sister was in the middle of a depression nap from being betrayed by the one she loved most. Dustin was shocked. In the end, both seemed to choose Elle’s side over Mike’s odd logic.

“I get that he’s upset and all, but that took things too far. I mean really.” Dustin said. Lucas had agreed. The three managed to get onto the same channel, but it took some effort. “Yeah, there’s a line, and I think Mike just crossed it.” Lucas said into his Supercom. Meanwhile, Will could hear Elle sobbing in the other room. “If you guys didn’t believe me…” He muttered, holding his Supercom against the wall. The walls in the house were very thin- you could hear things through them, but in order to make them out, you’d have to be in the actual room. Sobs… well, that was pretty obvious. Dustin sighed. “This is awful.” He said. Lucas agreed. “Yeah, we’re in deep shit. Mike needs to get his act together.”

Another week passed. Will, Lucas, and Dustin had tried to get Mike to apologize to Elle and Elle to try and talk to Mike. Neither of them did anything, in fact, they both firmly refused. Elle didn’t come out of her room and neither did Mike. Joyce got involved and Hopper did too, eventually. Of course, they only found out, but it was enough to make both of them annoyed. Hopper was sitting with Joyce one day when Will could overhear them talking. “She’s like a daughter to me, you know? I can’t stand to see her like this.” Hopper said, sighing. Joyce nodded. “Yeah, me too. I just can’t believe they broke up. They used to be conjoined at the hip.” She murmured.

Dustin and Lucas even tried to get Larissa and Max to talk Elle into forgiving Mike. She had responded flatly. “You can’t forgive someone who isn’t sorry.” She said with a monotone voice before returning to her bed. The girls left, unsuccessful. Even Nancy got involved. She yelled at Mike… a few times. Everyone seemed to side with Elle, and it annoyed Mike, until he realized they were right. He never really gave her a reason. Truth be told, he didn’t even want to break up. He LOVED her, but he thought she deserved better. He let his own insecurities ruin their relationship. 

About a week later, Mike was at his locker when he saw Dustin pass right by him. It was quite surprising, and he had no idea why all of a sudden his friends were pretending he didn’t exist. Until he saw her at the end of the hallway. Elle. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder and had her brow furrowed as she looked at a piece of paper. Dustin was pointing things out for her and she nodded with each explanation. Mike felt bile in the back of his throat but he swallowed it, taking his books and basically flagging Dustin down once he was away from Elle.

“What the hell is she doing here?!” Mike asked. Dustin sighed and turned to him. “Oh, you haven’t heard? Well, she didn’t have anyone to BE WITH, or anything to do, so she advanced rapidly in her studies. She finished all of the worksheets and subjects she got, breezed through ‘em. Mr. Clarke said she was doing so well, she could come to school with us, so she’s spending the rest of the year here and next year and so on so forth.” He huffed. Mike gulped. “But… oh god.” He groaned. Dustin just sighed. “You’re fucked, Mike. You fucked up.” He said. “You’ve got a chance, though. I think you two have fourth period together.” Dustin said. Mike felt his heart pound.

He tried so hard not to notice her in the hallways. Her gentle but sad smile, that laugh of hers. Her hazel eyes following him. He met her gaze once, and he could see her face drain of color. His heart lurched but he made himself keep walking. He didn’t turn back. He didn’t apologize. Now, Mike was stubborn. Not as stubborn as Lucas, but he was up there. He couldn’t make himself look stupid. Of course, he couldn’t have looked stupider when he walked into fourth period to see Elle placing her books next to Eric Johnston. He gulped and sat down in the back of the room next to Will, as usual, but when he turned to see his friend, he wasn’t there. Instead, Will was sitting behind Elle. Some girl came over and sat next to Mike. The girl was pretty, but not attractive to Mike. She had dirty blonde, straight hair and popped her bubble gum too loudly. Mike remembered her from another class- her name was Cindy Campbell. He knew they wouldn’t get along.

The teacher walked in- Mrs. McGuiness. She cleared her throat. “Good afternoon, class. Today, we have a new student joining us. Elizabeth Byers, would you please stand up so the class can see you?” She asked, and Elle stood up with a shy smile. “My name is Elle, by the way, Miss.” She added softly at the end. The teacher jotted down note of this. “Right, thank you. Okay, class, today we’ll be starting our end-of-the-year project. It may only be March, but this will probably take you a while, that’s why I’m giving you until the last week of school to complete this project. You will be given a partner- whoever is sitting next to you, and you two need to each write one essay of everything you love about the summer, and find out what you two have in common. Then, you’ll create some kind of art about something you two both like. This can be photography, a collage, a drawing or painting, or anything else artistic that you can think of.” She said. Mike gulped as he watched Eric and Elle exchange a smile. Mike knew she was probably being polite, but it still agitated him to see her looking at another boy. After all… she was his. Was. Mike had to remind himself.

Meanwhile, Cindy was rapidly tapping his arm. “Um, Mickey?” She said, rolling her eyes. Mike snapped out of her daze. “It’s Mike.” He responded. “Yeah, whatever, Mason. What the hell are we supposed to do?” she said, groaning. Mike shrugged. “I don’t know, exactly what she said? I guess we could make a collage or something for the end thing.” He said thoughtlessly. “Okay… hey, Mac, do you think you could maaaaybe write my essay?” “No.” “Pleeeeease, Mitch!” “No.” 

Class ended an hour of thoughtless small-talk about the project later, and Mike walked quickly after Will. “Why weren’t you in your seat?” He demanded. Will turned to him. “I’m sitting with Elle now. She doesn’t really know people here, so she should at least have a friendly face to see.” He said. “Besides, I managed to keep her mind off of you, so at least I’m doing something right.” Will snapped. Mike gulped, feeling slightly shocked. 

Meanwhile, Eric and Elle were walking down the hallway together. “So, what should we do for the ending of the project?” Eric asked. “Maybe photography? My older brother is a photographer, I can ask to borrow his camera.” She answered with a light shrug. “Cool.” Eric said, and Elle smiled. “Cool.” She repeated. “So, hey, are you going to the Summer Formal with anyone?” Eric asked. Elle turned to him. “The what?” She asked, confused. Eric smiled. “The Summer Formal, it’s on the last day of school. It’s a dance, like the Valentine’s Day Dance, but more exciting.” He said. Elle shrugged. “I don’t know.” She said honestly. He looked over at her. “Well… I was wondering if you’d, uh, go with me?” He asked awkwardly. Elle smiled. “Sure.” She said, trying to be polite.

Of course, Mike had to be right behind them to overhear this conversation. He turned right around and walked the other direction, hurrying back to his locker. He was trying to swallow the lump in his throat while also trying not to throw up. He felt awful. ‘I fucked up.’ He thought to himself, making sure he wasn’t about to cry in the middle of the hallway, which was one of the most embarrassing things that could happen to someone in middle school. 

Meanwhile, Elle had no idea what she was doing. She didn’t want to go to a dance with Eric- she wanted to go with Mike. She wanted to be with Mike, and no one else. But Will had explained ‘moving on’ to her, and she decided to give it a try. Mike didn’t even want to talk to her anyways, she figured, so she just decided to give Eric a shot. He seemed nice…

The school day ended and Elle and Will biked home together. “So, Mike wants to talk to you.” Will said. Elle shook her head. “Tell him to forget it. I don’t want to talk to him. Besides, I’m moving on.” She stated matter-of-factly. “You… you are?” Will asked, slightly shocked. “Yes. I’m going to the Summer Formal with Eric.” She said, biking a little bit faster. Will caught up with her. “Oh… well, that’s great, Elle.” He said. Elle smiled. “Yeah… it is…” She responded, trying to sound happy. 

She couldn’t keep up the façade though. Everything about it felt… wrong. Still, she had to do something to get Mike out of her mind. Even though she had four more days of school with him before she had the weekend to escape and be alone again. She’d been avoiding him and he’d been avoiding her, and the weekend seemed to be the prefect solution. Loneliness. Elle normally hated it, but now that Mike ended things with her, she decided that she could put up with it for a while. Until something, ANYTHING happened to change it.

The next day, Elle came into school to see a note on her locker.

“Meet me by the shed outside of the school after your last class.  
-Eric”

Elle sighed to herself and put the note inside of her locker before deciding she’d just do it. She didn’t know that the note wasn’t actually from Eric anyways.

Apparently Cindy Campbell had taken quite a liking to Mike, basically overnight. That was kind of how relationships worked in middle school, though. They were fast and thoughtless. Not Mike and Elle, though. That had ended, anyways…

But Elle’s day went relatively well, until she walked to the shed after school. She looked everywhere for Eric before hearing strange, familiar noises and voices. She walked around the back of the shed to see Cindy and Mike just sitting there, kissing. Elle’s hand covered her mouth and she turned to walk away, quickly breaking into a sprint. Just as she left, Mike pulled back from the kiss awkwardly, wiping his mouth. “Was it good?” Cindy asked, smiling. “Um, yeah.” Mike lied. “I gotta go, though.” He said and awkwardly ran off. “Hey, wait!” Cindy called after him, sighing after he was gone. 

Elle was running back to the school before she found the gym. Basketball practice was happening, but she didn’t care. She walked inside and tried to hide her tear-stained face as she walked past the boys, shooting basketballs into the hoop. She walked out of the gym and sat down outside on the benches, crying to herself. Apparently practice was ending soon, too, because she noticed it was nearly 4:30 when a bunch of sweaty boys left the gym after changing clothes in the locker room. Elle turned away slightly before someone sat down next to her, looking genuinely concerned. “Um… Elle?” A voice asked. She looked up to see Eric Johnston staring down at her. He was kneeling beside her, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead. His blue eyes shimmering. Anyone else would’ve just reached up and kissed him, but not Elle. She didn’t even find him that attractive. No one compared to the freckle-kissed, raven-haired boy who she’d just gotten her heart broken by. “Are you okay?” He asked. She smiled. “Yeah, uh, just having a family issue.” She lied. “Oh, well, uh… do you wanna come grab a milkshake with me at the diner? I’m going with a few of my friends and it’d be super fun if you came with us.” He suggested. Elle smiled softly. “Yeah, sure, that’d be fun.” She answered. He smiled and stood up, reaching out for her hand. She took it and he helped her up before she let go quickly and the two parted ways quickly so Elle could call her mom in the front office.

Joyce said she was happy that Elle was making new friends and agreed to let her go hang out with them as long as she was home by 9. Elle said she doubted she’d be gone after 6, but just in case the curfew was still needed. Elle found Eric outside of the gym with two other guys. Elle had assumed there would at least be another girl, but it was just them. They waved to her and she waved back. “Hey, Elle. This is Jack.” Eric said, pointing to a brunette boy beside him. He had green eyes. Elle shook his hand. “And this is Rich.” Eric said after, looking over at a redhead on his other side. They shook hands. “Do you have a mode of transportation?” He asked, and Elle nodded. “Okay, good. I ride a bike and those two losers skateboard .” He joked, pointing to Jack and Rich. The boys chuckled. Elle smiled. “I bike too.” she answered. After a few minutes, the group was all laughing, walking to the bike rack. Rich and Jack got their skateboards out and Elle pulled out her bike before Eric, and they headed towards the diner. 

They got there quickly, but not after passing Maple Street. Elle felt bad, but she doubted she was being watched. Apparently Lucas had seen her and sent a 911 to Mike, stating that she was ‘hanging out with the asshole jock squad’. Mike rolled his eyes. He felt bad for what had happened earlier, but he had staged it. He just wanted to make Elle jealous… after all, she was over him, right?

Jack, Eric, Elle, and Rich pulled into the diner and parked their bikes/skateboards before walking in. The waitress looked over at the kids and smiled. “Ah, boys, welcome back.” she said. “The usual?” She asked, and the three nodded. “Oh, and what do you want, Elle?” Eric asked. “I’ll have a cherry milkshake, please.” She answered with a polite smile. The waitress smiled back and left to go get their food as the four clambered into a booth. The waitress came back, handing each boy a milkshake. Elle reached for the $10 bill she had in her pocket that she always kept in case of emergency and slid it across the table towards the waitress. “Oh, it’s on the house.” She answered, pushing it back to Elle, who reluctantly took the money back. “I mean, my boy’s actually got a date. I told him I’d give him free food when he managed to get a girl in here, and he did it, but I thought that’d never happen.” She said, laughing softly. Eric’s face was red. “Mooooom…” He said awkwardly, scratching at his arm. She grinned and walked away. “See you at home.” She answered with a shrug. Meanwhile, Elle, Jack, and Rich were all chuckling lightly. 

The kids just started their milkshakes when one of them just HAD to get curious, much to Elle’s pleasure. Sarcasm intended.

Rich looked over at her. “So, wait, aren’t you from like… Sweden or something?” He asked. Elle nodded, rehearsing the lie in her head over and over again. “Why do you speak English?” He asked. Jack laughed. “Dude, you’re so dumb. She’s bilingual, duh.” He answered. “Wait, so you like girls AND guys?” Rich asked again. Everyone was laughing now. “No, I speak both. I learned English at a young age, and I moved here recently. My parents, uh… died.” She answered, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Apparently it worked, because everyone seemed to get quiet. “Oh… I’m really sorry for your loss.” Eric answered. Elle shook her head. “No, it’s uh… it’s okay, I’m doing better. I’m here, living with my godmother, Joyce Byers, and her kids.” She answered. Wait… was she supposed to say godmother or aunt? She couldn’t remember. “Cool.” Jack said, taking a sip from his chocolate-strawberry swirl milkshake. Eric had vanilla and Rich had banana-mango-chocolate, which everyone agreed was the most disgusting thing on the planet. Elle eventually had to try it after a little pressure from the boys, and was trying way too hard not to spit it out. She gave an awkward smile. “Um… delicious?” She joked, cringing at the horrid taste of the liquid. Apparently Eric’s mom was the only waitress who made it, specially for Rich. 

The four left the diner after they finished and headed off on their bikes. They were heading to the quarry to hang around, and they arrived there after about twenty minutes of biking. They weren’t at the normal place, though, they were down at the actual lake. Jack and Rich were skipping rocks while Elle sat next to Eric, discussing their project. “So, I really like spending my summers at the lake, so maybe we could take pictures here?” He asked. Elle nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She answered. Truth be told, she loved the lake, she just didn’t want to get in the water. She hated swimming, and would go to extreme measures to avoid getting into the water. She was uncomfortable with bathing, even, and insisted on ONLY taking showers. No baths. Nothing where her body was fully immersed with water. She didn’t know it wouldn’t make her see the Upside Down. But she didn’t want to test that theory either. She’d only ever been in Sensory Deprivation tanks as of water, and she had no intentions on going into another body of water for a long time, or at least as long as she could get away with the ‘I can’t swim’ act.

The kids left after that and Elle biked home. As she left, she could hear the boys talking about her. “Damn, Eric, you got a total hottie. Upgrade from Kirsty Gunston!” She heard Rich say, and she felt incredibly uncomfortable. “Yeah, dude, you should get into those little shorts of hers sometime.” Jack joined in, and Elle began to bike faster. Her face had gotten hot, and she was even crying a little bit. Thinking about Mike. Wondering what he said about that Cindy girl.

Mike’s 14th birthday passed, and Elle had her present for him sitting in the corner of her closet. She couldn’t even look at it. She didn’t want to. The other boys were celebrating with him, and she had no problem with that. What she wanted most of all was to be with them, celebrating his birthday. Holding Mike’s hand and smiling with him. Watching him blow out the candles on his cake. But she couldn’t show her face there. He probably hated her.

She remembered a story that Karen had told her one day about Mike. Apparently, he did so badly in kindergarten that he had to be held back, so he was a year older than the other boys and kids in general in his grade. Elle thought it was cute. Little Mike couldn’t get past kindergarten. But still, she couldn’t think about that now. She had work to do on her essay.

After another few weeks, Elle finished her essay. She reviewed it a few times and decided it was perfect. That’s why it took so long… not that she was avoiding Eric or anything, because she totally was. She was hanging out with the gang more, just not Mike. She heard that he was taking Cindy to the dance, and she didn’t want to hear anything about it. She just wanted to get through the weeks before summer came and she didn’t have to see him in the hallways. She didn’t want to hear his laughter any more. She didn’t want to see his smile taunting her. She couldn’t deal with it.

Dustin said Mike didn’t seem happy at all, and at first it made Elle feel better, but she realized that Mike SHOULD be happy, and that made her feel much worse. Everyone tried to help her, but ended up just making things spiral even further downwards. She gave up talking about it and grew distant every time she heard his name in a conversation. Instead, she changed the subject rapidly to something stupid of the top of her head. She didn’t even care, as long as she didn’t have to talk about Mike and his new girlfriend. 

The last week of school came and with it were exams. Elle aced hers, while Mike apparently failed. Nobody would find out about their scores until the last day, though. It came after a long week of testing, and Elle realized she had forgotten to get a dress for the Summer Formal. She didn’t want to buy one, it felt… wrong. Everything about the situation made her feel awful.

She headed home after telling Dustin, Lucas, and Eric that she’d see them later. Separately, of course. Eric didn’t talk to Elle’s real friends. She biked home with Will and the two got ready for the dance. Elle just wore an off-the-shoulder, silky-satin blue dress that was in her closet. It had a swooping neckline and a more flowing bottom, as the top was well-fitted around her torso. She didn’t bother doing great makeup, just her usual cherry chapstick and a coat of mascara on her tired eyes. 

The first half of the dance went well until Elle saw Mike walk in late with Cindy in his arm. The two made quite an entrance, and Mike caught Elle’s eye. When their gazes locked, he saw her get up and run off to the bathroom, with Eric following her. He felt bad for making her so upset, but at the same time, his brain was saying ‘Oh, ERIC’S there, she’ll be FINE.’ In an incredibly dumbed-down, sarcastic tone. 

After a few minutes of Cindy blabbing about something strange, he saw Eric come out and expected to see Elle by his side. He was alone and looked ‘angry as fuck’ as described by his brain. He was surprised to see Eric giving him a death stare though, before leaving with Jack and Rich, his two goon friends. Mike knew something had to be wrong, but he saw Will run into the bathroom where Elle was before he had time to respond. 

Elle was sitting in the handicapped bathroom stall on the floor, sobbing to herself. She was wiping her tears off with the god-awful quality cheap toilet paper that the school used and Will came in, not even bothering to knock on the door since it was locked. So, he crawled under the door to Elle’s surprise and sat next to her, taking her into a hug. She just opened up then, forgetting about any details she had to hold onto. 

“I… I… I saw him kissing that… that, that… that TRAMP.” Elle managed to say through her tears and gritted teeth. She was talking about the day at the school shed. Will growled. “I knew he’d set you up…” He muttered to himself. Elle pretended to ignore hearing that, but it was obvious when she let out a loud sob. “I mean, I tried so… h-h-h-hard to pretend to l-like Eric, and I only s-s-said yes because M-Mike didn’t even l-like me any m-m-more.” She cried into Will’s shoulder. He rubbed her back, frowning deeply, but she couldn’t see that with her face buried into her brother’s arm. “S-So I saw him with… h-her and I just… I just told E-Eric everything.” She sobbed again. Will sighed. “Hey, I’ll be right back, okay? Stay here. And unlock the door.” He said, so he wouldn’t have to crawl under again. He unlocked the door and Elle nodded, blowing her nose. She didn’t even bother to go wash the mascara-tinted tear stains that were on her cheeks.

Will stormed into the gym and basically ripped Mike away from Cindy. It wasn’t like they were having an interesting conversation anyways. The two walked out of the gym and into the hallway. “You’re such an asshole, Mike!” Will shouted. Mike backed up. “What the fuck are you talking about?!” He shouted back. “You seriously think Elle was ever into Eric Johnston? No! She told me everything in the bathroom. You fucking set her up so you could go make out with Cindy Campbell in front of her?!” He yelled. Mike sighed. “Look, I… I still love her, of course I do, but we ended things, remember? I can’t just go back over to her and beg for her forgiveness!” Mike said, flailing his arms. “Well, you better try.” He said, grabbing his arm again and dragging him into the girl’s bathroom and shoving him in. Mike realized he was basically stuck in there and decided he might as well talk to Elle… they had a lot to discuss. “Um, Elle?” He asked quietly, hearing sobs from the handicapped stall. He heard them quiet down and saw small figure scoot into the corner of the stall, as far away from him as possible. “What?” She asked, sounding like the epitome of the emotion ‘miserable’. Mike felt awful for making her feel that way. Elle could sense his emotions, though. Regret. Guilt. Love…

“I just… I’m sorry, Elle. I was in a bad mood that day because of my dad. I let my own insecurities get the best of me. I thought… I thought you deserved better than me and would go to school and fall in love with some jock like Eric Johnston and leave me behind anyways, so I figured I’d make it easier for both of us.” He explained awkwardly. “I regret it completely, you know. I feel like such an idiot for letting you… us… slip through my grasp. You’re my everything Elle… I… uh…” He started to say. He completely forgot that it was only 14 and shouldn’t be feeling any of the emotions he currently was. “I love you.” He slipped out, and heard her breath hitch and stop. He saw her stand up and expected her to just turn or walk away from him, but instead she opened the stall door and he saw her face. Her hair was curled into defined waves that fell to her shoulders. Her lips were slightly red with the tint that came with her cherry chapstick. She had mascara trailing down her face in quite a few little paths. Mike realized that he was the one who caused that and felt ultimately horrible about what he’d done to the poor girl. 

Instead of slapping him like Mike’s mind thought she’d do, she hugged him. Elle. Hugged Him. Mike was a bit shocked, but she was sobbing into his shoulder and he couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her waist. They heard the familiar sound of a slow song, Time After Time, playing in the other room and Elle removed her head from his shoulder, sniffling lightly. He moved down to her level, as he was quite taller than her, and planted a small kiss on her forehead before moving back. “May I have this dance?” He asked, and she smiled weakly. “Yes.” She answered, letting go of her grudge and every negative feeling she had. They didn’t matter to her. All she cared about was the current moment. She placed her hand in his and he put his other hand on her waist, and she put hers on his shoulder. The two awkwardly waltzed around before moving their hands, Elle’s were both on his shoulder and Mike’s were both on her waist now. 

The song ended eventually and Elle took a minute to wet a paper towel and wipe the makeup off of her eyes before he reached out and she took his hand. The two walked, hand-in-hand, back into the gym without a bit of fear. They had eachother now, and that was all that mattered. Of course, Cindy Campbell stormed out after a moment of seeing her date with another girl, and Mike and Elle couldn’t help but exchange a little giggle that became a full blown fit of laughter, which caught Will, Larissa, Lucas, Max, and Dustin’s attention. The gang was back together now. They came over to the couple, cheering loudly, and everyone was staring at them now, but they didn’t care.

The dance was shut down by the chaperones at 10 pm and Max and Larissa headed home. However, as of tradition, the gang was heading over to Mike’s house for their annual last-day-of-school-and-first-day-of-summer sleepover. Elle had never had one of these and she was excited. The gang pulled an all-nighter, playing games and doing whatever they felt like. Karen Wheeler agreed a few years back to let them stay up late, and when they begged her this year, she finally let them have an all-nighter. Apparently this was also the year that they stole a few shots from a bottle of whiskey from Ted’s old booze stash hidden under the La-Z-Boy. There was quite a bit of space down there that no one had felt like exploring. 

Karen ordered a pizza before heading to bed, and seeing this, the kids hurried up to get the whiskey after she was in her room. They snuck it down to the basement and Mike got some paper cups before the doorbell rang and he went to answer it. Elle came with him. Of course, both burst into laughter when they found out the pizza boy was Steve Harrington, himself. Mike ended up flipping him off and screaming “FUCK YOU, STEVE!” After paying and watching him get into his Domino’s car. Elle just laughed and they carried the pizza inside. “Elle?” Mike asked. “Yes?” She responded, looking back at him. All of a sudden, it was November 1983 and they were about to share their first kiss before Dustin interrupted them. All of a sudden Mike felt like saying he was glad she was home.

“I’m glad you’re back.” He said, figuring he couldn’t say he was glad she was home because it would sound stupid. Elle got the memo though, and smiled softly. “Me too, Mike.” She replied before moving forward and pressing her lips to his for a solid ten seconds before they broke apart, hearing the boys downstairs chanting “PIZZA, PIZZA, PIZZA, PIZZA!”

After the pizza was demolished, they were to play Never Have I Ever with junior-sized shots. Aka half-shots. The size was according to Lucas, who had never had a drink in his life, but assumed their size. Turns out, the “junior shots” were bigger than normal shots and much more powerful, but this would be noticed later. 

First the basics: Never have I ever kissed, never have I ever had sex, never have I ever seen a girl naked. The only one to get all three of those was Lucas, of course, which was hilarious. Mike, Elle, Dustin all had to take a shot on the first on. Will was the only one who got away with all three. It got more intense and… well, sexual later on, but it was funny because Lucas was the only one who’d lost his virginity.

Before the night ended, Lucas was basically hammered, passed out in his sleeping back. Dustin was a little tipsy from the Star Wars related questions and Mike was buzzed from the romantic ones. Elle wasn’t as tipsy because she hadn’t known the Star Wars ones, like Mike and Dustin. Will was the most sober out of all of them, and laughed at their foggy state of mind. 

The gang woke up the next day, mostly feeling like shit. Lucas was a tiny bit hungover and threw up twice, but Mike and Dustin just had a tiny headache, which Elle volunteered to get them Advil and water. She came back with the medicine and they basically worshipped her for providing them with this life-saving pain medication.

It was the first day of summer, and Elle knew she was about to have one of the best few months of her life. 

A few days later, Mike went back to the school to clean out his locker, as every student did during the beginning of summer. It was stupid, he thought they might as well just clean it out during school. Elle, Dustin, Will, and Lucas already had, and now it was his turn. As he was walking down the hallway, he saw the bulletin board of Mrs. McGuiness with the best projects hanging on it. It was tradition to hang the best up, and Mike smiled to himself when he saw a familiar face wearing a pair of heart shaped sunglasses smiling to him in Mirkwood. Elle’s favorite part of summer was Mirkwood. When he looked closely, he saw something written on her hand. He had to look extremely closely though, and he finally realized she was even in the place. There were numbers- coordinates of the location, and the word Mike spelled out on top. Of course, she knew the coordinates! She’d basically been tracked down before she was assumed dead. He felt his heart swell with love as he saw this. He didn’t care that Eric Johnston was behind the camera. When nobody was looking, he took the pushpins off of the photograph and slid it into his backpack to take it home with him.

Mike pinned the photo up on his own bulletin board in his bedroom, where he had his science fair ribbons and such hanging up. He moved a few things around- nothing was as important as seeing Elle every morning, even if it was just a paper photograph.


	32. I Love Her in the Summertime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer has begun, and Mike and Elle are nothing short of busy.
> 
> -
> 
> Whenever she saw him, she felt a million fireworks blasting through her soul into a galaxy of thought, and Mike was always the center of her universe.

Elle wasn't having a bad time. Not at all. She was sitting around a crowded table, her fingers laced with her boyfriend's underneath the wooden surface as his eyes shimmered with light content. He was speaking but she couldn't process what he was saying- her eyes were too busy flickering over his face, taking in every little sight. His cheekbones, jawlines, and freckles... Elle loved them. They were all hers. While he spoke he would rub the back of her hand with her thumb and send her heart reeling with every spark of static from his touch.

There was no static, of course, but Elle felt like there was. She felt like every nerve on her body was flaming with passion whenever they touched. She could feel goosebumps on the back of her neck and pressure in her chest as her heart continued to beat loudly in her ears. Part of her prayed Mike couldn't hear it and the other part didn't care. It was how she felt, after all.

He was still talking though, and she allowed her gaze to travel away from his face and to the other boys. His words were now in a low tone as he spoke and she could see the other boys looking quite nervous. Meanwhile she was getting excited, she wanted to see the shock on their faces when a monster charged out or when a plot twist was revealed. She figured she could be there, at that table, every day for the rest of her life.

She was, but not every day. Every two weeks Mike would have a campaign ready, and it had been his goal over the summer to have one done in that time period in between. Elle sometimes gave him ideas and they'd go over what would happen together, but this campaign hadn't been revealed to her yet. She was still trying to focus on Mike's actual words and not the sweetness of his voice. She still couldn't hear him though, but judging on the terrified look on Dustin's face, something was going on.

Another hour went by where she just couldn't focus on anything except for Mike's blurred words and the outline of his face in the dim basement light. The sun had set hours ago, back when the campaign had originally started, and it was coming to an end quite soon. Elle could always tell because she could sit beside Mike and see his folder, where he kept everything planned out. She'd no longer see the shadows of his handwriting on the next page, and it would be around half an hour before the campaign faded out into the traditional Saturday sleepover that the kids always had.

Just like with the end of school, they'd have traditional sleepovers in the summertime whenever they could, but usually on Saturdays. Sometimes one or more of them would miss these sleepovers due to travel or other business, but for the most part they would always show up ready to watch movies, eat pizza, and talk about whatever was on their mind until three in the morning. Elle was aways happy for these, as she was with any time she got to spend with the boys.

She'd been having her own issues though, at home. Sometimes Joyce would be so stressed her hair would fall out and of course, she wouldn't tell anyone, because that's just how she was. Joyce would never ask for help until it was too late, and nobody except for Elle seemed to pick up on it. So, she'd been helping the woman out with everything she could while trying not to break her pride. The Byers were quite the stubborn family and didn't usually go around asking for assistance on anything, no matter what. It was hard enough for Joyce to be looking after three kids, so Elle decided it was the least of her worries to help out her adopted-mother.

As she got lost in her thoughts, she realized that the campaign had finally ended and she had no idea how it finished so quickly, but she appreciated an excuse to get up and stretch her legs. They'd been aching for a few hours but she wouldn't have told anyone. The boys were having so much fun, so she didn't want to complain. She finally caught up to her thoughts to listen to what they were actually saying, which she probably should've been doing for the past five hours.

Mike was grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks, guys." He said, still holding onto Elle's hand. She guessed they'd been praising him for the campaign, and she could see a red blush on his cheeks. He always got embarrassed when he got praised, and Elle thought it was adorable. It was easy to make him blush for her, but it was the same way around. She would always find something to blush about when Mike was around, no matter what. It was like an instinct- she just had to. Whenever she saw him, she felt a million fireworks blasting through her soul into a galaxy of thought, and Mike was always the center of her universe.

She listened as Dustin made a comment about a plot twist from three hours earlier and as Will rambled on and on about how scared he got. Lucas was just laughing at everyone and Elle was smiling warmly, feeling a burst of pride for the fact that she'd managed to get such great friends.

Some days she wondered what she ever did to deserve them. She was just a broken girl who showed up one day in the rain, and a boy put aside his main focuses to take her into his own home and take care of him. Another one helped her after a few heartbeats and then she gained the trust of a third through time. Finally she met the fourth, who became her brother, although they were all like family anyways. One was her brother, two were her friends, and the last one? Well... they were something quite special.

Elle always wondered why Mike wasn't with another girl. He had definitely grown into the looks. His once messy mop of hair was a bit more curly and apparently he was cute enough for Cindy Campbell. That said a lot, because although she was one of the most annoying people any of the boys had ever met, she was still considered popular. Not Jennifer Hayes popular, but somewhat close. He had gotten much stronger over the years and wasn't nearly as bony as he had been when he was twelve. He was a funny guy, but still nerdy, and Elle thought it was cute. Even though Mike had proven to be HER boyfriend, she still wondered if he ever looked at other girls or thought about them. She didn't always like thinking about it though. She didn't want to imagine Mike with anyone except herself for obvious reasons. Even so, Elle didn't want to be selfish. She knew that if something was meant to happen, it would happen. She was just glad that she and Mike were happening.

The day before they had gone on a date. Technically. Mike and Elle biked down to the lake near Hopper's house and talked about what the next year would bring. They decided that no matter what happened in high school, they'd stick together. They held hands the entire time and Elle remembered resting her head on Mike's shoulder while the summer breeze blew gently against them and the sun set. They didn't kiss, but they didn't need to. Sometimes the silence between them spoke louder than a kiss. Sometimes it was the opposite.

Mike and Elle had a relationship unlike any other. While they would talk about everything with eachother, they could also sit in complete silence and be totally happy with eachother, not bothering with words or phrases to mess up the mood. They could stare into eachother's eyes for what felt like years and never get bored, or hold hands even if both of their fingers were numb. Mike could recall several times when his shoulder would get sore from Elle resting her head on it, and Elle remembered a few times when Mike would roll over onto her during a sleepover and she'd never bother to wake him up and get him off of her. Neither of them cared quite frankly, they just wanted to be with eachother.

Everyone knew that they had something special. People they didn't even know noticed it. Sometimes Dustin, Lucas, and Will would tease them relentlessly, but other times they'd just watch how they were with eachother and observe their chemistry.

Let's just say they had more chemistry than the boy's Science Fair volcano years prior.

Elle just watched him as he got up and looked down at her, signifying the beginning of a new night. She smiled softly as he held her hand and the two began to walk up the stairs into the kitchen to grab snacks for the upcoming viewing of Ghostbusters in the Wheelers' living room.

She decided she could've stayed there in that moment, looking into his ebony eyes under the kitchen light, for the rest of her life, and die a happy girl.

He was thinking the exact same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I know! It's just a gateway for me to start getting back into this story again. Bear with me, guys! c:

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [When It's Cold, I Think of You.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11421408) by [arizonasnow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arizonasnow/pseuds/arizonasnow)




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